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Wang K, Tang D, Ma J, Sun S. Auditory Neural Plasticity in Tinnitus Mechanisms and Management. Neural Plast 2020; 2020:7438461. [PMID: 32684922 PMCID: PMC7349625 DOI: 10.1155/2020/7438461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Tinnitus, which is the perception of sound in the absence of a corresponding external acoustic stimulus, including change of hearing and neural plasticity, has become an increasingly important ailment affecting the daily life of a considerable proportion of the population and causing significant burdens for both the affected individuals and society as a whole. Here, we briefly review the epidemiology and classification of tinnitus, and the currently available treatments are discussed in terms of the available evidence for their mechanisms and efficacy. The conclusion drawn from the available evidence is that there is no specific medication for tinnitus treatment at present, and tinnitus management might provide better solutions. Therapeutic interventions for tinnitus should be based on a comprehensive understanding of the etiology and features of individual cases of tinnitus, and more high quality and large-scale research studies are urgently needed to develop more efficacious medications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunkun Wang
- ENT institute and Otorhinolaryngology Department of Eye & ENT Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200031, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Hearing Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Dongmei Tang
- ENT institute and Otorhinolaryngology Department of Eye & ENT Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200031, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Hearing Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Jiaoyao Ma
- ENT institute and Otorhinolaryngology Department of Eye & ENT Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200031, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Hearing Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Shan Sun
- ENT institute and Otorhinolaryngology Department of Eye & ENT Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200031, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Hearing Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai 200031, China
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Abstract
Purpose
Sound therapy to reduce the emotional and functional effects of tinnitus has been used by audiologists since the 1970s when Jack Vernon introduced the masking method to provide a sense of relief from tinnitus distress. Our group renamed masking sound as “soothing” sound and distinguished it from “interesting” and “background” sound, each of which has a different purpose for tinnitus sound therapy. Other methods of sound therapy have the potential to reduce the “sensation” of tinnitus, including notched noise, matched noise, desynchronization, and residual inhibition. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the different sound therapy approaches to serve as a resource for audiologists who often provide sound therapy to their patients with tinnitus.
Conclusion
Although, according to systematic reviews, sound therapy does not have strong evidence for treatment of tinnitus, it is nonetheless well evidenced both through abundant research and clinical utilization mostly by audiologists. It is unknown if any one form of sound therapy is superior to any other.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A. Henry
- Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research & Development Service, National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, VA Portland Health Care System, OR
- Department of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland
| | - Candice M. Quinn
- Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research & Development Service, National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, VA Portland Health Care System, OR
- Department of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland
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Searchfield GD, Spiegel DP, Poppe TNER, Durai M, Jensen M, Kobayashi K, Park J, Russell BR, Shekhawat GS, Sundram F, Thompson BB, Wise KJ. A proof-of-concept study comparing tinnitus and neural connectivity changes following multisensory perceptual training with and without a low-dose of fluoxetine. Int J Neurosci 2020; 131:433-444. [PMID: 32281466 DOI: 10.1080/00207454.2020.1746310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Background. This proof-of-concept study investigated a method of multisensory perceptual training for tinnitus, and whether a short, low-dose administration of fluoxetine enhanced training effects and changed neural connectivity.Methods. A double-blind, randomized placebo controlled design with 20 participants (17 male, 3 female, mean age = 57.1 years) involved 30 min daily computer-based, multisensory training (matching visual, auditory and tactile stimuli to perception of tinnitus) for 20 days, and random allocation to take 20 mg fluoxetine or placebo daily. Behavioral measures of tinnitus and correlations between pairs of a priori regions of interest (ROIs), obtained using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), were performed before and after the training.Results. Significant changes in ratings of tinnitus loudness, annoyance, and problem were observed with training. No statistically significant changes in Tinnitus Functional Index, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory or Depression Anxiety Stress Scales were found with training. Fluoxetine did not alter any of the behavioural outcomes of training compared to placebo. Significant changes in connectivity between ROIs were identified with training; sensory and attention neural network ROI changes correlated with significant tinnitus rating changes. Rs-fMRI results suggested that the direction of functional connectivity changes between auditory and non-auditory networks, with training and fluoxetine, were opposite to the direction of those changes with multisensory training and placebo.Conclusions. Improvements in tinnitus measures were correlated with changes in sensory and attention networks. The results provide preliminary evidence for changes in rs-fMRI accompanying a multisensory training method in persons with tinnitus.
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Affiliation(s)
- G D Searchfield
- Eisdell Moore Centre & Audiology Section, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Centre for Brain Research, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Brain Research New Zealand, New Zealand
| | - D P Spiegel
- Essilor Research and Development, Singapore, Singapore
| | - T N E R Poppe
- Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - M Durai
- Eisdell Moore Centre & Audiology Section, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Centre for Brain Research, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - M Jensen
- Bay of Plenty and School of Pharmacy, Pharmacy, Whakatane Hospital, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - K Kobayashi
- Eisdell Moore Centre & Audiology Section, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Acoustics Centre, Mechanical Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - J Park
- Eisdell Moore Centre & Audiology Section, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - B R Russell
- School of Pharmacy, Otago University, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | | | - F Sundram
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - B B Thompson
- School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
| | - K J Wise
- Eisdell Moore Centre & Speech Science, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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Sense and Sensibility: A Review of the Behavioral Neuroscience of Tinnitus Sound Therapy and a New Typology. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2020; 51:213-247. [PMID: 33547596 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2020_183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Tinnitus Sound Therapy is not a single strategy. It consists of many different sound types, targeting many different mechanisms. Therapies that use sound to cover, reduce attention to, or facilitate habituation of tinnitus are among the most common tinnitus treatment paradigms. Recent history has seen a proliferation of sound therapies, but they have each been criticized for having limited empirical support. In this review, Sound Therapy's modern history will be described, and a typology will be introduced and discussed in light of current behavioral neuroscience research. It will be argued that contributing factors to the limited evidence for the efficacy of Sound Therapy are its diversity, plural modes of action, and absence of a clear typology. Despite gaps in understanding the efficacy of sound's effects on tinnitus, there is compelling evidence for its multiple, but related, neurophysiological mechanisms. Evidence suggests that sound may reduce tinnitus through its presence, context, reaction, and potentially adaptation. This review provides insights into the neurocognitive basis of these tinnitus Sound Therapy modes. It concludes that a unifying classification is needed to secure and advance arguments in favor of Sound Therapy.
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Maldonado Fernández M, Shin J, Scherer RW, Murdin L. Interventions for tinnitus in adults: an overview of systematic reviews. Hippokratia 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd011795.pub2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jennifer Shin
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital; Department of Surgery - Otolaryngology; 75 Francis Street Boston MA USA 02115
| | - Roberta W Scherer
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Department of Epidemiology; Room W6138 615 N. Wolfe St. Baltimore Maryland USA 21205
| | - Louisa Murdin
- Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London; Ear Institute; London UK
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Maldonado Fernández M, Shin J, Scherer RW, Murdin L. Interventions for tinnitus in adults: an overview of systematic reviews. THE COCHRANE DATABASE OF SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd011795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Noreña AJ. Revisiting the cochlear and central mechanisms of tinnitus and therapeutic approaches. Audiol Neurootol 2015; 20 Suppl 1:53-9. [PMID: 25997584 DOI: 10.1159/000380749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
This short review aims at revisiting some of the putative mechanisms of tinnitus. Cochlear-type tinnitus is suggested to result from aberrant activity generated before or at the cochlear nerve level. It is proposed that outer hair cells, through their role in regulating the endocochlear potential, can contribute to the enhancement of cochlear spontaneous activity. This hypothesis is attractive as it provides a possible explanation for cochlear tinnitus of different aetiologies, such as tinnitus produced by acute noise trauma, intense low-frequency sounds, middle-ear dysfunction or temporomandibular joint disorders. Other mechanisms, namely an excitatory drift in the operating point of the inner hair cells and activation of NMDA receptors, are also briefly reported. Central-type tinnitus is supposed to result from aberrant activity generated in auditory centres, i.e. in these patients, the tinnitus-related activity does not pre-exist in the cochlear nerve. A reduction in cochlear activity due to hearing loss is suggested to produce tinnitus-related plastic changes, namely cortical reorganisation, thalamic neuron hyperpolarisation, facilitation of non-auditory inputs and/or increase in central gain. These central changes can be associated with abnormal patterns of spontaneous activity in the auditory pathway, i.e. hyperactivity, hypersynchrony and/or oscillating activity. Therapeutic approaches aimed at reducing cochlear activity and/or tinnitus-related central changes are discussed.
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Noreña AJ, Farley BJ. Tinnitus-related neural activity: Theories of generation, propagation, and centralization. Hear Res 2013; 295:161-71. [DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2012.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 147] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2012] [Revised: 09/23/2012] [Accepted: 09/26/2012] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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Engineer ND, Møller AR, Kilgard MP. Directing neural plasticity to understand and treat tinnitus. Hear Res 2012; 295:58-66. [PMID: 23099209 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2012.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2012] [Revised: 09/28/2012] [Accepted: 10/02/2012] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The functional organization of cortical and subcortical networks can be altered by sensory experience. Sensory deprivation destabilizes neural networks resulting in increased excitability, greater neural synchronization and increased spontaneous firing in cortical and subcortical neurons. This pathological activity is thought to generate the phantom percept of chronic tinnitus. While sound masking, pharmacotherapy and cortical stimulation can temporarily suppress tinnitus for some patients, these interventions do not eliminate the pathological activity that is responsible for tinnitus. A treatment that could reverse the underlying pathology would be expected to be effective in alleviating the symptoms, if not curative. Targeted neural plasticity can provide the specificity required to restore normal neural activity in dysfunctional neural circuits that are assumed to underlie many forms of tinnitus. The forebrain cholinergic system and the noradrenergic system play a significant role in modulating cortical plasticity. Stimulation of the vagus nerve is known to activate these neuromodulatory pathways. Our earlier studies have demonstrated that pairing sounds with either nucleus basalis of Meynert (NB) stimulation or vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) generates highly specific and long-lasting plasticity in auditory cortex neurons. Repeatedly pairing tones with brief pulses of VNS reversed the physiological and behavioral correlates of tinnitus in noise exposed rats. We also recently demonstrated that VNS modulates synchrony and excitability in the auditory cortex at least in part by activation of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, suggesting that acetylcholine is involved in the mechanism of action of VNS. These results suggest that pairing sounds with VNS provides a new avenue of treatment for some forms of tinnitus. This paper discusses neuromodulation as treatment for tinnitus with a focus on the potential value of pairing VNS with sound stimulation as a treatment of chronic tinnitus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navzer D Engineer
- MicroTransponder, Inc., 2802 Flintrock Trace, Suite 225, Austin, TX 78738, USA.
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