The general goal of our study is to unravel the anatomical and functional correlates of tinnitus in the human brain using structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We will use a high-field (7 T) MRI scanner and obtain a) detailed…
ID
Source
Brief title
Condition
- Hearing disorders
- Cranial nerve disorders (excl neoplasms)
Synonym
Research involving
Sponsors and support
Intervention
Outcome measures
Primary outcome
The hypothesized link between frequency tuning and tinnitus will be tested by
comparing the size and response magnitude of the auditory cortex regions that
show tuning to the patient*s specific tinnitus frequency vs. regions that show
tuning to the other (non-tinnitus) frequencies. In this way, patients can serve
as their own controls, in addition to matching healthy controls. Furthermore,
anatomical features (measures of myelin content and cortical thickness) will be
assessed in the same regions of interest.
Secondary outcome
Not applicable.
Background summary
Tinnitus is a hearing disorder that is characterized by the chronic perception
of phantom sound. Current therapy forms are either very time-consuming or no
more effective than placebo. Therefore development of novel more effective
therapies is needed, but this is currently hampered by the lack of
understanding the neural basis of tinnitus. The specific goal of the proposed
study is to fill this gap by identifying whether tinnitus is accompanied by
anatomical and functional changes within the central auditory system. For
example, as suggested by animal electrophysiology and explored by recent human
neuroimaging research, tinnitus may be accompanied by functional reorganization
of frequency tuning: Neurons in the human auditory system are typically tuned
(i.e., most sensitive) to specific audio frequencies but after acoustic
overstimulation, they may adapt their frequency tuning. Therefore, the proposed
study will test whether the ongoing illusory auditory stimulation that is
caused by chronic tinnitus leads to adaptations in frequency tuning and
neuroanatomy, i.e., a change in the cortical regions that represent the
tinnitus frequency.
Study objective
The general goal of our study is to unravel the anatomical and functional
correlates of tinnitus in the human brain using structural and functional
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We will use a high-field (7 T) MRI scanner
and obtain a) detailed information about brain anatomy in the central auditory
system and b) measure functional responses in the auditory cortex in order to
assess the overall activation level and the tonotopic organization of auditory
cortex.
Study design
The study will be an observational fMRI study.
Study burden and risks
The participants will be scanned once for 55 min (excluding breaks). When
attention is paid to the contra-indication of an MRI scanner, participation in
an MRI experiment at 7 T is harmless. An interview and a audiogram will be
performed before scanning (tinnitus patients also fill in a tinnitus
questionnaire and undergo a tinnitus spectrum test), which also is harmless and
takes approximately 60 min.
Oxfordlaan 55
Maastricht 6229 EV
NL
Oxfordlaan 55
Maastricht 6229 EV
NL
Listed location countries
Age
Inclusion criteria
The main inclusion criteria of the patient groups are:
* Male or female between 18 and 75 years
* Subjective tinnitus (i.e. not caused by an acoustic source inside the head, e.g., vascular abnormalities that cause pulsatile tinnitus)
* Stable tinnitus (i.e., present for at least 8 h per day since more than a year)
* Tinnitus that is dominant within one of three octaves (low: <750 Hz, middle: 750-3000 Hz, high: >3000 Hz; the exact frequency ranges will be determined empirically based on patient availability)
* Patient has not received medical care from an otolaryngologist and is able and willing to undergo the MRI measurements, as indicated by written informed consent.;The main inclusion criteria of the healthy subjects are:
* Male or female between 18 and 75 years
* No tinnitus
* Subject is able and willing to undergo the MRI measurements, as indicated by written informed consent.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria of the patient groups are:
* Fletcher Index > 50 dB HL for both ears (i.e., mean of hearing loss in decibels for 1k, 2k and 4k Hz)
* Hyperacusis (oversensitivity to sound), phonophobia (defined as a persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of sound), misophonia (dislike of certain sound),
* Neurological-, neurosurgical- and psychiatric history
* Use of dopaminergic drugs since this medication greatly influence the fMRI scans (Haslinger et al., 2001, Mattay et al., 2002)
* Morbid obesitas (BMI > 35) since it cannot be guaranteed that these subjects will fit in the scanner
* Current treatment of tinnitus and implanted devices or other metal objects that are not suitable for MRI. ;Exclusion criteria of the healthy subjects are:
* Fletcher Index > 50 dB HL for both ears (i.e. mean of hearing loss in decibels for 1k, 2k and 4k Hz)
* Hyperacusis (oversensitivity to sound), phonophobia (defined as a persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of sound), misophonia (dislike of certain sound),
* Neurological-, neurosurgical- and psychiatric history
* Use of dopaminergic drugs since this medication greatly influence the fMRI scans (Haslinger et al., 2001, Mattay et al., 2002)
* Morbid obesitas (BMI > 35) since it cannot be guaranteed that these subjects will fit in the scanner
* Current treatment of tinnitus and implanted devices or other metal objects that are not suitable for MRI.
Design
Recruitment
Followed up by the following (possibly more current) registration
No registrations found.
Other (possibly less up-to-date) registrations in this register
No registrations found.
In other registers
| Register | ID |
|---|---|
| CCMO | NL49812.068.14 |