Can an auditory illusion trick the brain into turning down tinnitus?
Tinnitus, the phantom perception of sound with no external source, affects an estimated 10-15% of the adult population. Current treatments for this oftentimes distressing condition are of limited effectiveness. The "central gain" model proposes that tinnitus arises from an increase in the responsiveness, or gain, of neurons in central auditory pathways, triggered by damage to the auditory periphery. It has been suggested that tinnitus might be treated by compensating for the peripheral damage, thereby restoring normal levels of input to the central pathways, and hence reducing central gain. Unfortunately, when tinnitus originates with permanent damage to the auditory periphery, it may be impossible to compensate for this damage directly. However, we hypothesize that tinnitus may be treated by tricking the brain into believing that it temporarily receives normal levels of input at frequencies where peripheral damage has occurred. We identify an auditory illusion that seems capable, in principle, of achieving this objective. If effective, this approach would offer a safe, accessible, and non-invasive treatment for tinnitus.
MRC Institute of Hearing Research, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom.
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Fletcher
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Hearing Biomedical Research Unit, 113 The Ropewalk, Nottingham NG1 5DU, United Kingdom; Otology and Hearing Group, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom. Electronic address: ian.wiggins@nottingham.ac.uk.
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Wiggins
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D006801:Humans; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*
Auditory illusion; Central gain; Hearing loss; Homeostatic plasticity; Residual inhibition; Tinnitus