Abstract
Somatic Modulation of Tinnitus: A Review and Some Open Questions
Highlights
The pitch and loudness of tinnitus can be modulated and even evoked or silenced for a short time in some individuals by movements of the temporomandibular joint, head and neck muscles and the eyes due to interactions between the auditory and the somatosensory systems. This type of tinnitus, called somatosensory tinnitus, could be a direct consequence of a disorder of non-auditory musculoskeletal structures, a fundamental characteristic of tinnitus as hypothesized by Levine[13] or, most probably, an attribute of tinnitus favored by an underlying somatic disorder that triggers existing neural connections between somatosensory and auditory pathways
Even if clinical experience suggests a direct connection, there is a lack of studies that prove an association between modulation and a somatic disorder and, to date, no statistically significant association between somatic disorders and higher prevalence of tinnitus modulation following somatic maneuvers has been described.[14,15]
Some tinnitus sufferers have reported experiencing louder tinnitus upon awakening from a nap in the sitting position; this could be explained by somatic factors like cervical spine muscle relaxation during the night or stretching of the neck muscles when the head passively falls forward while sleeping in a sitting position.[25]
Summary
The pitch and loudness of tinnitus can be modulated and even evoked or silenced for a short time in some individuals by movements of the temporomandibular joint, head and neck muscles and the eyes due to interactions between the auditory and the somatosensory systems.
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