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Mennink LM, Koops EA, Langers DRM, Aalbers MW, van Dijk JMC, van Dijk P. Cerebellar Gray Matter Volume in Tinnitus. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:862873. [PMID: 35573294 PMCID: PMC9099039 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.862873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Tinnitus is the perception of sound without an external source. The flocculus (FL) and paraflocculus (PFL), which are small lobules of the cerebellum, have recently been implicated in its pathophysiology. In a previous study, the volume of the (P)FL-complex correlated with tinnitus severity in patients that had undergone cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumor removal. In this study, the relation between tinnitus and gray matter volume (GMV) of the (P)FL-complex, GMV of the other cerebellar lobules and GMV of the cerebellar nuclei is investigated in otherwise healthy participants. Data was processed using the SUIT toolbox, which is dedicated to analysis of imaging data of the human cerebellum. GMV of all cerebellar lobules and nuclei were similar between tinnitus and non-tinnitus participants. Moreover, no relation was present between tinnitus severity, as measured by the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, and (P)FL-complex GMV, tonsil GMV, or total cerebellar cortical GMV. These results suggest that in otherwise healthy participants, in contrast to participants after CPA tumor removal, no relation between the GMV of neither the (P)FL-complex nor other cerebellar lobules and tinnitus presence and severity exists. These findings indicate that a relation only exists when the (P)FL-complex is damaged, for instance by a CPA tumor. Alternatively, it is possible that differences in (P)FL-complex GMVs are too small to detect with a voxel-based morphometry study. Therefore, the role of the (P)FL-complex in tinnitus remains to be further studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilian M. Mennink
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- Research School of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- *Correspondence: Lilian M. Mennink,
| | - Elouise A. Koops
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- Research School of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Dave R. M. Langers
- Department of Bio-informatics, Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Marlien W. Aalbers
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- Research School of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - J. Marc C. van Dijk
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- Research School of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Pim van Dijk
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- Research School of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
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