Plasticity of Neural Systems in Tinnitus
1Psychological Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
2Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
3Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
4School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, TX, USA
Plasticity of Neural Systems in Tinnitus
Description
It is generally believed that multiple neuroplastic changes play a central role in causing many forms of tinnitus and that complex neural alterations are necessary for maintaining tinnitus.
There is considerable evidence that the anatomical location of the abnormalities that cause the symptoms of tinnitus is the brain although tinnitus may begin as the result of events that occur in the inner ear. The anatomical location of the tinnitus-related pathology is not completely known nor is it known what changes in the brain causes the associated distress that some but not all tinnitus patients suffer from. It seems likely that these two expressions of tinnitus may engage different circuits in the brain.
Recent studies indicate that changes in connections in many parts of the brain play an important role in causing the experience of subjective tinnitus and in the related distress. These networks consist of brain areas that serve auditory functions, but there is evidence that also other circuits are involved in causing the symptoms that are associated with tinnitus.
Understanding the abnormalities in these networks and their dynamic interactions (connectivity) is of utmost importance for understanding different people's experience of tinnitus. Such knowledge is naturally also important for developing effective treatments of tinnitus and of the associated symptoms of distress and suffering.
We invite basic scientists and clinicians to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will stimulate the continuing effort to understand the different pathologies that can cause acute and chronic tinnitus. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- Tinnitus-related changes in functional neuroanatomy of the auditory system/auditory cortex
- Electrical and neurophysiological brain imaging studies of subjective tinnitus
- Neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric investigations of tinnitus-related distress, depression, and other mental disorders
- Computational modeling of resting state networks in individuals with symptoms of tinnitus
- Recent achievements in neuropsychological treatment and neuromodulation (e.g., neurofeedback and musical stimulation)
- The role of neurotransmitter systems in generation and maintenance of tinnitus
- The relationship between tinnitus and impaired speech perception
- Animal studies
- Molecular and synaptic basis of tinnitus
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