title: Influence of silence and attention on tinnitus perception.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to study the effect of attention and sustained silence on the emergence of auditory phantom perception in normal-hearing adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  While sitting in a sound booth, 66 volunteers (age range, 18-65; mean age, 37.3) performed 3 experiments of 5 minutes each, consecutively and randomly presented. Two deviated attention from auditory system (Hanoi and visual attention experiments), and 1 drove attention to the auditory system (auditory attention). After each experiment, participants were asked about their auditory and visual perception. No sound or light change was given at any moment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the participants, 19.7% experienced tinnitus during Hanoi, 45.5% during visual attention, and 68.2% during auditory attention experiment, with no significant differences for studied variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tinnitus-like perceptions may occur in a nonclinical population in a silent environment. Concomitant auditory attention plays an important role on the emergence of tinnitus.
authors.affiliation: ENT Department, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil. keila@gabengenharia.com.br
authors.forename: Keila Alessandra Baraldi
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Knobel
authors.forename: Tanit Ganz
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Sanchez
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology