Impairments of thalamic resting-state functional connectivity in patients with chronic tinnitus.
OBJECTIVE
The phantom sound of tinnitus is believed to arise from abnormal functional coupling between the thalamus and cerebral cortex. To explore this hypothesis, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare the degree of thalamocortical functional connectivity in chronic tinnitus patients and controls.


METHODS
Resting-state fMRI scans were obtained from 31 chronic tinnitus patients and 33 well-matched healthy controls. Thalamocortical functional connectivity was characterized using a seed-based whole-brain correlation method. The resulting thalamic functional connectivity measures were correlated with other clinical data.


RESULTS
We found decreased functional connectivity between the seed region in left thalamus and right middle temporal gyrus (MTG), right middle orbitofrontal cortex, left middle frontal gyrus, right precentral gyrus, and bilateral calcarine cortex. Decreased functional connectivity was detected between the seed in the right thalamus and the left superior temporal gyrus (STG), left amygdala, right superior frontal gyrus, left precentral gyrus, and left middle occipital gyrus. Tinnitus distress correlated negatively with thalamic functional connectivity in right MTG; tinnitus duration correlated negatively with thalamic functional connectivity in left STG. Increased functional connectivity between the bilateral thalamus and a set of regions were also observed.


CONCLUSIONS
Chronic tinnitus patients have disrupted thalamocortical functional connectivity to selected brain regions which is associated with specific tinnitus characteristics. Resting-state thalamic functional connectivity disturbances may play an important role in neuropathological features of tinnitus.
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
Jian
J
Zhang
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing, China; Center for Hearing and Deafness, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Yu-Chen
YC
Chen
Department of Otolaryngology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
Xu
X
Feng
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
Ming
M
Yang
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
Bin
B
Liu
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
Cheng
C
Qian
Department of Physiology, Southeast University, Nanjing, China; School of Human Communication Disorders, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Jian
J
Wang
Center for Hearing and Deafness, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Richard
R
Salvi
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing, China. Electronic address: gjteng@vip.sina.com.
Gao-Jun
GJ
Teng
D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D013788:Thalamus / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*
Chronic tinnitus; Functional connectivity; Thalamus; Tinnitus distress; fMRI