Abstract
A surprising fact in voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies performed in tinnitus is that not one single region is replicated in studies of different centers. The question then rises whether this is related to the low sample size of these studies, the selection of non-representative patient subgroups, or the absence of stratification according to clinical characteristics. Another possibility is that VBM is not a good tool to study functional pathologies such as tinnitus, in contrast to pathologies like Alzheimer’s disease where it is known the pathology is related to cell loss. In a large sample of 154 tinnitus patients VBM and QEEG (Quantitative Electroencephalography) was performed and evaluated by a regression analysis. Correlation analyses are performed between VBM and QEEG data. Uncorrected data demonstrated structural differences in grey matter in hippocampal and cerebellar areas related to tinnitus related distress and tinnitus duration. After control for multiple comparisons, only cerebellar VBM changes remain significantly altered. Electrophysiological differences are related to distress, tinnitus intensity, and tinnitus duration in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus, and parahippocampus, which confirms previous results. The absence of QEEG-VBM correlations suggest functional changes are not reflected by co-occurring structural changes in tinnitus, and the absence of VBM changes (except for the cerebellum) that survive correct statistical analysis in a large study population suggests that VBM might not be very sensitive for studying tinnitus.
Highlights
At some point in life most people will experience an unexplainable sound, often described as ringing or roaring, in their ears/head which has no apparent external sound source[1]
Low sample size of these studies, the selection of non-representative patient subgroups, or the absence of stratification according to clinical characteristics may explain the lack of agreement between the two studies. Another possibility is that voxel-based morphometry (VBM) is not an ideal tool to study functional pathologies such as tinnitus, in contrast to pathologies like Alzheimer’s disease where it is known the pathology is related to cell loss [27; 28]
The aim of this study is to verify whether VBM reflects structural changes that might accompany functional changes in tinnitus
Summary
At some point in life most people will experience an unexplainable sound, often described as ringing or roaring, in their ears/head which has no apparent external sound source[1]. This phantom sound is called tinnitus, and is defined as the perception of a sound in the absence of any external sound source. Tinnitus has been related to listening to loud music [2], sudden sensorineural hearing loss [3], use of medication [4] or other causes This sensation is reversible and subsides after a few seconds or sometimes after a few days. Most incidences of tinnitus are temporary, chronic subjective tinnitus occurs in 10–15% of the PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0115122 March 17, 2015
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