Plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels are increased in patients with tinnitus and correlated with therapeutic effects.
Tinnitus is the perception of sound without an external source and is known to be associated with altered neuronal excitability in the auditory system. Tinnitus severity can be assessed by various psychometric instruments and there is no objective measures developed to evaluate tinnitus severity and therapeutic effects so far. Brain-derived nerve growth factor (BDNF) is believed in playing a key role in regulating neuronal excitability in the brain. To determine whether BDNF correlates with tinnitus induction and severity, we described plasma BDNF levels in patients with tinnitus and healthy controls and evaluated the correlation between plasma BDNF levels and tinnitus severity measured by Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Moreover, alteration of plasma BDNF levels before and after tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) in patients with severe tinnitus was also analyzed. We found plasma BDNF levels were elevated in patients with tinnitus compared with healthy controls. In addition, plasma BDNF levels in patients with severe tinnitus were decreased significantly after effective TRT. However, plasma BDNF levels were not correlated with tinnitus loudness and tinnitus severity measured by THI and VAS. These findings support plasma BDNF as a marker for activity changes in the auditory system and could possibly evaluate therapeutic effects in patients with tinnitus.
Department of Otolaryngology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, China; Institute of Hearing and Speech-Language Science, Sun Yat-sen University, China.
Hao
H
Xiong
Department of Otolaryngology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, China; Institute of Hearing and Speech-Language Science, Sun Yat-sen University, China.
Haidi
H
Yang
Department of Otolaryngology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, China; Institute of Hearing and Speech-Language Science, Sun Yat-sen University, China.
Maojin
M
Liang
Department of Otolaryngology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, China; Institute of Hearing and Speech-Language Science, Sun Yat-sen University, China.
Yongkang
Y
Ou
Department of Otolaryngology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, China; Institute of Hearing and Speech-Language Science, Sun Yat-sen University, China.
Xiayin
X
Huang
Department of Otolaryngology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, China; Institute of Hearing and Speech-Language Science, Sun Yat-sen University, China.
Yuexin
Y
Cai
Department of Otolaryngology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, China; Institute of Hearing and Speech-Language Science, Sun Yat-sen University, China.
Lan
L
Lai
Department of Otolaryngology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, China; Institute of Hearing and Speech-Language Science, Sun Yat-sen University, China.
Jiaqi
J
Pang
Department of Otolaryngology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, China; Institute of Hearing and Speech-Language Science, Sun Yat-sen University, China. Electronic address: yiqingzheng@hotmail.com.
Yiqing
Y
Zheng
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology
D015415:Biomarkers; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; Tinnitus; Tinnitus handicap inventory; Tinnitus retraining therapy