title: Specific activation of operculum 3 (OP3) brain region during provoked tinnitus-related phantom auditory perceptions in humans.
abstract: The phantom sound perception mechanism by which a sound perception occurs without any external sound source is still enigmatic. According to our previous fMRI study, a small region in the parietal operculum 3 was hyperactivated as a function of tinnitus periodicity in subjects with acoustic trauma tinnitus sequelae. This region was localized in the vicinity of neural correlates of middle-ear tympano-ossicular chain movements due to pressure variations. Disturbed proprioceptors are known to trigger illusory perceptions; therefore, we hypothesized that a disturbance of middle-ear proprioceptors may originate phantom sound perceptions. We designed an fMRI study that aimed to stimulate middle-ear proprioceptors by repetitive vibrations using various rates of click trains. In this study, we report that exposure to specific rates of stimuli for a few minutes at comfortable intensity level in healthy subjects distinctly triggered transient tinnitus-like aftereffects. The fMRI neural correlates of the aftereffects were unequivocally localized in the same parietal region as in acoustic trauma tinnitus sufferers. Our results strongly suggest that a middle-ear kinesthetic/proprioceptive illusion exists at the origin of acoustic trauma tinnitus via a somatosensory pathway encompassing the trigeminal system.
authors.affiliation: IRBA, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, Bretigny Sur Orge, France. agnes.job@irba.fr.|INSERM, U836, Grenoble, France. agnes.job@irba.fr.|Univ. Grenoble Alpes, GIN-eq5, Grenoble, France. agnes.job@irba.fr.
authors.forename: Agnès
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Job
authors.affiliation: Bundeswherzentralkrankenhaus, Abt V HNO, Koblenz, Germany.
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jacob
authors.affiliation: Service ORL, Hopital d'Instruction des Armées, HIA Percy, Clamart, France.
authors.forename: Yoann
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pons
authors.affiliation: Service ORL, Hopital d'Instruction des Armées, HIA Percy, Clamart, France.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raynal
authors.affiliation: Service ORL, Hopital d'Instruction des Armées, HIA Percy, Clamart, France.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kossowski
authors.affiliation: Service ORL, Hopital d'Instruction des Armées, HIA Desgenettes, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gauthier
authors.affiliation: Service ORL, Hopital d'Instruction des Armées, HIA Desgenettes, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lombard
authors.affiliation: INSERM, U836, Grenoble, France.|Univ. Grenoble Alpes, GIN-eq5, Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Delon-Martin
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001306:Auditory Pathways; D001307:Auditory Perception; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Acoustic trauma; Kinesthesia; Middle ear; OP3; Operculum; Somatosensory cortex; Tinnitus; fMRI