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Updated: Sep 19, 2025
Neuro-rehabilitation Approach for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Published on: January 25, 2016
A pilot study for virus-induced neural network remodeling in sudden hearing loss and tinnitus: A graph attention
Chanmei Fang1, Canming Cui2, Chang-Dong Wang2
1Department of Otolaryngology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China; Institute of Hearing and Speech-Language Science, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Purpose:
This study aimed to investigate early central abnormalities in sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) and tinnitus following viral infection, specifically associated with SARS-CoV-2. We sought to identify shared and distinct functional connectivity (FC) features across SSNHL and tinnitus patients with and without a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection and explore how virus influences brain network remodeling in SSNHL and tinnitus.
Methods:
We recruited 31 SSNHL patients with tinnitus following SARS-CoV-2 infection (COV-SSNHL), 32 non-viral SSNHL patients with tinnitus, and 32 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HC). Brain functional connectivity coefficients were used to construct graph data analyzed with a graph attention network (GAT) model for categorization. Analyses focused on the auditory network (AN), salience network (SN), and default mode network (DMN) and their correlations with tinnitus severity.
Results:
Both SSNHL groups showed reduced connectivity within the SN and DMN, which correlated with tinnitus severity. Notably, COV-SSNHL patients exhibited distinct, complex network remodeling involving the AN, SN, and DMN, with the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) as a central mediator. This remodeling facilitated interactions within the SN and across networks, marking COV-SSNHL as neurologically unique.
Conclusion:
This study highlights the distinct neural alterations in brain networks in COV-SSNHL patients, providing novel insights into the pathophysiology of viral-induced SSNHL and tinnitus. These findings suggest potential therapeutic targets and contribute to understanding the central mechanisms underlying these conditions.
