title: The Relevance of Interoception in Chronic Tinnitus: Analyzing Interoceptive Sensibility and Accuracy.
abstract: In order to better understand tinnitus and distress associated with tinnitus, psychological variables such as emotional and cognitive processing are a central element in theoretical models of this debilitating condition. Interoception, that is, the perception of internal processes, may be such a psychological factor relevant to tinnitus. Against this background, 20 participants suffering from chronic tinnitus and 20 matched healthy controls were tested with questionnaires, assessing interoceptive sensibility, and participated in two tasks, assessing interoceptive accuracy: the Schandry task, a heartbeat estimation assignment, and a skin conductance fluctuations perception task assessing the participants' ability to perceive phasic increases in sympathetic activation were used. To test stress reactivity, a construct tightly connected to tinnitus onset, we also included a stress induction. No differences between the groups were found for interoceptive accuracy and sensibility. However, the tinnitus group tended to overestimate the occurrence of phasic activation. Loudness of the tinnitus was associated with reduced interoceptive performance under stress. Our results indicate that interoceptive sensibility and accuracy do not play a significant role in tinnitus. However, tinnitus might be associated with a tendency to overestimate physical changes.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University Hospital of Münster, Malmedyweg 15, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Pia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University Hospital of Münster, Malmedyweg 15, 48149 Münster, Germany ; Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Fliednerstraße 21, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miesen
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University Hospital of Münster, Malmedyweg 15, 48149 Münster, Germany ; Institute for Physiological Psychology, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wunderlich
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University Hospital of Münster, Malmedyweg 15, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Alwina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University Hospital of Münster, Malmedyweg 15, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Alva
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Engell
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University Hospital of Münster, Malmedyweg 15, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wollbrink
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Pohligstraße 1, 50969 Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gerlach
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University Hospital of Münster, Malmedyweg 15, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Junghöfer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, LMU Munich, Leopoldstraße 13, 80802 Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ehring
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University Hospital of Münster, Malmedyweg 15, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Christo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pantev
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D065812:Interoception / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*