Neural Indicators of Inhibition in Tinnitus: Onset-Offset and Sensory Gating Auditory Evoked Potentials Vary by Stimulus Frequency and Tinnitus Severity.
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Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of stimulus frequency and tinnitus severity on measurements indicative of inhibition called onset-offset and sensory gating auditory evoked potentials (AEPs). The specific aims were to (a) determine the effect of stimulus frequency on AEPs in people with and without tinnitus; (b) determine if people with high-frequency tinnitus demonstrate abnormal AEPs in response to high-frequency stimuli; and (c) compare AEPs in people with tinnitus of varying severity.
Method: A total of 26 people with tinnitus and 26 age-, sex-, and hearing-matched no-tinnitus controls participated. AEPs were recorded in response to stimuli of varying frequency (broadband noise [BBN], 0.25, 2, 8 kHz). AEPs were quantified by measuring difference wave amplitudes and latencies. For Aims 1 and 2, mixed-model ANOVAs were calculated to determine the main effect of and interaction between stimulus frequency and tinnitus presence. For Aim 3, participants were divided into subgroups based on median tinnitus severity and t tests were used to compare AEPs between subgroups.
Results: (1) BBN evoked the largest amplitude onset-offset and sensory gating difference waves. As stimulus frequency increased, amplitude decreased. (2) Individuals who perceived high-frequency tinnitus did not demonstrate the most abnormal onset-offset and sensory gating AEPs in response to high-frequency stimuli. (3) Individuals with moderate and severe tinnitus demonstrated abnormal sensory gating AEPs compared to age-, hearing-, and sex-matched no-tinnitus controls and compared to individuals with milder tinnitus who were of similar age and hearing status.
Conclusions: Stimulus frequency does influence onset-offset and sensory gating AEPs. People with moderate and severe tinnitus demonstrated reduced inhibition compared to people with milder tinnitus, indicated by abnormal sensory gating AEPs. This suggests that a person's psychological reaction to their tinnitus may be linked to unconscious physiological mechanisms underlying tinnitus, including reduced inhibition.
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