Differential tinnitus-related neuroplastic alterations of cortical thickness and surface area.
Structural neuroimaging techniques have been used to identify cortical and subcortical regions constituting the neuroarchitecture of tinnitus. One recent investigation used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to analyze a sample of tinnitus patients (TI, n = 257) (Schecklmann et al., 2013). A negative relationship between individual distress and cortical volume (CV) in bilateral auditory regions was observed. However, CV has meanwhile been identified as a neuroanatomical measurement that confounds genetically distinct neuroanatomical traits, namely cortical thickness (CT) and cortical surface area (CSA). We performed a re-analysis of the identical sample using the automated FreeSurfer surface-based morphometry (SBM) approach (Fischl, 2012). First, we replicated the negative correlation between tinnitus distress and bilateral supratemporal gray matter volume. Second, we observed a negative correlation for CSA in the left periauditory cortex and anterior insula. Furthermore, we noted a positive correlation between tinnitus duration and CT in the left periauditory cortex as well as a negative correlation in the subcallosal anterior cingulate, a region collated to the serotonergic circuit and germane to inhibitory functions. In short, the results elucidate differential neuroanatomical alterations of CSA and CT for the two independent tinnitus-related psychological traits distress and duration. Beyond this, the study provides further evidence for the distinction and specific susceptibility of CSA and CT within the context of neuroplasticity of the human brain.
Neuroplasticity and Learning in the Healthy Aging Brain (HAB LAB), Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland; University Research Priority Program 'Dynamics of Healthy Aging', University of Zurich, Switzerland; Cognitive Psychology Unit (CPU), University of Klagenfurt, Austria. Electronic address: martin.meyer@uzh.ch.
Martin
M
Meyer
Neuroplasticity and Learning in the Healthy Aging Brain (HAB LAB), Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland; University Research Priority Program 'Dynamics of Healthy Aging', University of Zurich, Switzerland; Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology (ICST), University of Arts Zurich, Switzerland.
Patrick
P
Neff
Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science, Leipzig, Germany.
Franziskus
F
Liem
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland.
Tobias
T
Kleinjung
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland.
Steffi
S
Weidt
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Germany; Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Center of the University of Regensburg, Germany.
Berthold
B
Langguth
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Germany; Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Center of the University of Regensburg, Germany.
Martin
M
Schecklmann
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059906:Neuroimaging; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
Cortical surface area; Cortical thickness; Neuroanatomy; Surface-based morphometry; Tinnitus