Does Chronic Subjective Tinnitus Affect Cognitive Performance in Normal Hearing Adults?

Abstract

Background: In literature, the cognitive performance results of normal hearing individuals with tinnitus are inconsistent. It also differs in the control of other factors that may affect cognition.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the differences in attention and memory performance between normal-hearing individuals with chronic subjective tinnitus and age-sex-education-matched healthy controls.

Study sample: Normal-hearing individuals with subjective chronic tinnitus between 18-55 years of age, who have normal cognitive abilities [tinnitus group, n=30] and age-sex matched normal hearing individuals without tinnitus who have normal cognitive abilities [control group, n=30] were included in this study.

Data collection: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test (MoCA-TR) measured participants' general cognitive screening, and depressive symptoms were measured by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) was used to determine the tinnitus handicap levels. Attention performance was evaluated with Stroop Test-TBAG Form, and short-term and working memory performances were evaluated with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R)-Digit Span Test.

Results: The tinnitus and control groups' depressive symptom scores were similar concerning the BDI (p=0.90). There was no statistically significant difference between both groups according to the completion time of the five sections of the Stroop Test, the number of errors and corrections of the Stroop 5 test, and the (WAIS-R)-Digit Span Test scores (p>0.05).

Conclusions: In our study, the Stroop Test and Digit Span Test performances of individuals with tinnitus and normal hearing were similar to the control group. Despite previous studies claiming an effect of tinnitus on cognition, our contrary findings are discussed in the light of other demographic, audiological, and psychological measurement variables, especially hearing loss.