title: The gap-prepulse inhibition deficit of the cortical N1-P2 complex in patients with tinnitus: The effect of gap duration.
abstract: The present study aimed to investigate whether gap-prepulse inhibition (GPI) deficit in patients with tinnitus occurred in the N1-P2 complex of the cortical auditory evoked potential. Auditory late responses to the intense sound of the GPI paradigm were obtained from 16 patients with tinnitus and 18 age- and hearing loss-matched controls without tinnitus. The inhibition degrees of the N1-P2 complex were assessed at 100-, 50-, and 20-ms gap durations with tinnitus-pitch-matched and non-matched frequency background noises. At the 20-ms gap condition with the tinnitus-pitch-matched frequency background noise, only the tinnitus group showed an inhibition deficit of the N1-P2 complex. The inhibition deficits were absent in both groups with longer gap durations. These findings suggested that the effect of tinnitus emerged depending on the cue onset timing and duration of the gap-prepulse. Since inhibition deficits were observed in both groups at the same 20-ms gap condition, but with the tinnitus-pitch-non-matched frequency background noise, the present study did not offer proof of concept for tinnitus filling in the gap. Additional studies on the intrinsic effects of different background frequencies on the gap processing are required in the future.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Program in Bioengineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Yunseo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ku
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Program in Bioengineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Joong Woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Program in Bioengineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Chiheon
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Program in Bioengineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Do Youn
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea. Electronic address: drmung@naver.com.
authors.forename: Myung-Whan
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Moo Kyun
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jun Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Ha
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hee Chan
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000162:Acoustics; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D001307:Auditory Perception; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D001767:Blinking; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004566:Electrodes; D004576:Electromyography; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009622:Noise; D065808:Prepulse Inhibition; D011930:Reaction Time; D013216:Reflex, Startle / Q000502:physiology; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Auditory late response; Gap-prepulse inhibition; N1-P2 complex; Tinnitus