Can Residual Inhibition Predict the Success of Sound Enrichment Treatment for Tinnitus?

Objectives

The objective of this study was to investigate whether residual inhibition (RI), which provides information on the relationship between tinnitus and increased spontaneous activity in the auditory system, is a predictor for the success of sound enrichment treatment.

Design

Tinnitus patients were divided into two groups based on whether RI was achieved (RI+) or not (RI−). All participants underwent sound enrichment. Psychosomatic measures (for tinnitus severity, discomfort, attention deficit and sleep difficulties), Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), minimum masking level (MML), and tinnitus loudness level (TLL) results were compared before and at 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment.

Study sample

Sixty-seven chronic tinnitus patients were divided into two groups based on whether RI was achieved (RI+) or not (RI−). There were 38 patients in the RI+ group and 29 in the RI− group.

Results

There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in psychosomatic measures, THI, MML and TLL scores at the post-treatment 6 months after treatment (p <.05). There was a statistically significant decrease in psychosomatic measures, THI, MML and TLL scores during the treatment period in the RI+ group, but not in the RI− group.

Conclusion

RI may predict the prognosis of tinnitus treatments used in clinics to reduce the spontaneous firing rate of neurons in the central auditory system, and that RI positivity may be a predictor of treatment success in sound enrichment.