title: The consequences of tinnitus and tinnitus severity on cognition: A review of the behavioural evidence.
abstract: People with tinnitus report anecdotal difficulties in mental concentration and psychological treatments for tinnitus advise on concentration difficulties and how to manage them. Yet the literature lacks any coherent discussion about what precise theoretical cognitive constructs might be mediating reported concentration problems. This review addresses this gap by describing and critically appraising the behavioural evidence for the effects of tinnitus on cognitive performance (namely working memory and attention). Empirical evidence is somewhat limited, but there is some support that tinnitus interferes with executive attention, and mixed support that it impairs working memory and selective attention. We highlight a number of methodological considerations to help drive the field forward and we propose a putative model of the complex inter-relationships between tinnitus, cognition and confounding factors. This model provides a basis for hypothesis testing.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Hearing Biomedical Research Unit, Ropewalk House, 113 The Ropewalk, Nottingham NG1 5DU, UK; Otology and Hearing Group, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Medical School, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK; Department of Audiology, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia. Electronic address: g_bah194@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Najibah
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mohamad
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Hearing Biomedical Research Unit, Ropewalk House, 113 The Ropewalk, Nottingham NG1 5DU, UK; Otology and Hearing Group, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Medical School, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK. Electronic address: derek.hoare@nottingham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Derek J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Hoare
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Hearing Biomedical Research Unit, Ropewalk House, 113 The Ropewalk, Nottingham NG1 5DU, UK; Otology and Hearing Group, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Medical School, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK. Electronic address: deborah.hall@nottingham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Deborah A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D056344:Executive Function; D006801:Humans; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D012307:Risk Factors; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Chronic tinnitus; Cognitive performance; Hypothesised model