Abstract
Tinnitus is a subjective phantom sound perceived only by the affected person and a symptom of various auditory and non-auditory conditions. The majority of methods used in clinical and basic research for tinnitus diagnosis are subjective. To better understand tinnitus-associated changes in the auditory system, an objective technique measuring auditory sensitivity—the auditory brainstem responses (ABR)—has been suggested. Therefore, the present review aimed to summarize ABR’s features in a rat model during experimentally induced tinnitus. PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Scopus databanks were searched using Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms: auditory brainstem response, tinnitus, rat. The search identified 344 articles, and 36 of them were selected for the full-text analyses. The experimental protocols and results were evaluated, and the gained knowledge was synthesized. A high level of heterogeneity between the studies was found regarding all assessed areas. The most consistent finding of all studies was a reduction in the ABR wave I amplitude following exposure to noise and salicylate. Simultaneously, animals with salicylate-induced but not noise-induced tinnitus had an increased amplitude of wave IV. Furthermore, the present study identified a need to develop a consensus experimental ABR protocol applied in future tinnitus studies using the rat model.
Highlights
Tinnitus is an auditory phantom perception despite the absence of external sound
The present study identified a need to develop a consensus experimental auditory brainstem responses (ABR) protocol applied in future tinnitus studies using the rat model
This review aimed to evaluate the auditory brainstem response changes occurring in rats’
Summary
Tinnitus is an auditory phantom perception despite the absence of external sound. Subjective, chronic tinnitus is diagnosed in humans of all ages, affecting about 16% of the adult population [1,2]and significantly decreasing the life quality of 1–3% of subjects with severe form [3,4,5]. Subjective, chronic tinnitus is diagnosed in humans of all ages, affecting about 16% of the adult population [1,2]. Tinnitus may be a symptom of numerous conditions such as Meniere’s disease, diabetes, arterial hypertension, intracranial hypertension, or hearing loss. The latter, causative reasons, include exposure to noise or ototoxic drugs (i.e., salicylate, cisplatin, quinine) [6,7,8] and have been adapted to induce experimental tinnitus in animals. A significant challenge during the tinnitus assessment in patients and animal models is the lack of objective diagnostic methods. The audiometric assessment of tinnitus (loudness, pitch, residual inhibition) uses the patient’s subjective statement. Audiometric properties of tinnitus in animals are tested using behavioral paradigms
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