Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2025

Semi-Automated Analysis of Peak Amplitude and Latency for Auditory Brainstem Response Waveforms Using R
Published on: December 9, 2022
Tinnitus risk factors and its evolution over time
Lise Hobeika1,2,3,4, Matt Fillingim5,6, Christophe Tanguay-Sabourin5,7,8
1Université Paris Cité, Institut Pasteur, AP-HP, INSERM, CNRS, Fondation Pour l'Audition, Institut de l'Audition, IHU reConnect, Paris, France. lise.hobeika@gmail.com.
Abstract:
Subjective tinnitus is an auditory percept unrelated to external sounds, for which the limited understanding of its risk factors complicates the prevention and management. In this study, we train two distinct machine learning models to predict tinnitus presence (how often individuals perceive tinnitus) and severity separately using socio-demographic, psychological, and health-related predictors with the UK Biobank dataset (192,993 participants, 41,042 with tinnitus). We show that hearing health was the primary risk factor of both presence and severity, while mood, neuroticism, and sleep predicted severity. The severity model accurately predicts tinnitus progression over nine years, with a large effect size for individuals developing severe tinnitus (Cohen's d = 1.3, ROC = 0.78). This result is validated on 463 individuals from the Tinnitus Research Initiative database. We simplify the severity model to a six-item clinical questionnaire that detects individuals at risk of severe tinnitus, for which early supportive care would be crucial.
Related Concept Videos
Hearing
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by...
Perception of Sound Waves
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same...
Increased pulse rate
Many factors can elevate the risk of developing tachycardia. These include advanced age, a family history of arrhythmias, and an...
The Cochlea
Anatomy of the Ear

