Use of tinnitus masking functions to support or refute the presence or absence of auditory plasticity

Authors

  • Jose Luis Blanco Oticon A/S, Clinical Communication and Evidence, Smørum, Denmark
  • Michael J. Nilsson Oticon A/S, Clinical Communication and Evidence, Smørum, Denmark

Abstract

Tinnitus, the perception of sounds that do not have a peripheral correlate, is often hypothesized to be associated with cortical reorganization that over-emphasizes baseline cortical activity and is perceived as these phantom signals. But there are several issues that suggest this explanation may not be universal (if the system is plastic, why can't tinnitus be eliminated by another plastic change?). A potential technique to distinguish tinnitus that may be correlated with auditory plasticity versus tinnitus associated directly with peripheral damage will be evaluated. Narrow bands of noise will be used to determine masking thresholds across frequencies. Thresholds will be plotted relative to the tinnitus pitch to determine whether the frequency of optimal masking is aligned with the frequency of tinnitus, which does not support plasticity, or with adjacent frequencies, supporting the existence of auditory plasticity. Subjects with tinnitus frequency less than 6 kHz will be recruited, and a test battery will be collected, including DPOAE, tinnitus frequency, TEN test to detect possible dead zones, as well as masking thresholds with narrow bands of noise around the tinnitus frequency. Case studies will be presented to demonstrate the threshold functions found in a small sampling of tinnitus patients. Implications for treatment will be discussed.

References

Engineer, N.D., Riley, J.R., Seale, J.D., Vrana, W.A., Shetake, J.A., Sudanagunta, S.P., Borland, M.S., and Kilgard, M.P. (2011). “Reversing pathological neural activity using targeted plasticity,” Nature, 470, 101-104.

Engineer, N.D., Møller. Å.R., and Kilgard, M.P. (2013). “Directing neural plasticity to understand and treat tinnitus,” Hear. Res., 295, 58-66.

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Published

2013-12-15

How to Cite

Blanco, J. L., & Nilsson, M. J. (2013). Use of tinnitus masking functions to support or refute the presence or absence of auditory plasticity. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Auditory and Audiological Research, 4, 153–158. Retrieved from https://proceedings.isaar.eu/index.php/isaarproc/article/view/2013-16

Issue

Vol. 4 (2013): Auditory Plasticity - Listening with the Brain

Section

2013/3. Plasticity and auditory disorders

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