Central functional connectivity reorganization in idiopathic tinnitus

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Medical Imaging
• Auditory Science

Background:

• Idiopathic tinnitus, a common auditory disorder, is characterized by the perception of sound without external stimuli.
• Understanding the underlying neural mechanisms, particularly central functional connectivity, is crucial for developing effective treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate functional connectivity alterations in idiopathic tinnitus patients at integrity, network, and edge levels using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).
• To elucidate central plasticity changes in idiopathic tinnitus by analyzing functional connectivity patterns.

Main Methods:

• rs-fMRI data were acquired from 74 idiopathic tinnitus patients and 98 healthy controls.
• Functional connectivity differences were analyzed at integrity, network, and edge levels.
• Correlations between connectivity alterations and clinical characteristics of tinnitus patients were explored.

Main Results:

• Idiopathic tinnitus patients showed reduced node degree in the left parahippocampal gyrus, left amygdala, and bilateral Heschl gyrus.
• Significantly reduced intranetwork functional connectivity in the auditory network (AUN) and internetwork connectivity between the AUN and ventral attention network (VAN) were observed.
• Edge-level analysis revealed increased functional connectivity in two ROI pairs and decreased connectivity in nine ROI pairs.

Conclusions:

• Central functional connectivity reorganization in idiopathic tinnitus is widespread, involving the auditory cortex, limbic system, and attention-related cortical regions.
• These findings highlight the complex neural plasticity associated with idiopathic tinnitus.