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Association Between Residual Inhibition and Neural Activity in Patients with Tinnitus: Protocol for a Controlled Within- and Between-Subject Comparison Study

Hu, Suyi; Anschuetz, Lukas; Huth, Markus E.; Sznitman, Raphael; Blaser, Daniela; Kompis, Martin; Hall, Deborah A.; Caversaccio, Marco; Wimmer, Wilhelm

Association Between Residual Inhibition and Neural Activity in Patients with Tinnitus: Protocol for a Controlled Within- and Between-Subject Comparison Study Thumbnail


Authors

Suyi Hu

Lukas Anschuetz

Markus E. Huth

Raphael Sznitman

Daniela Blaser

Martin Kompis

Deborah A. Hall

Marco Caversaccio

Wilhelm Wimmer



Abstract

Background: Electroencephalography (EEG) studies indicate possible associations between tinnitus and changes in the neural activity. However, inconsistent results require further investigation to better understand such heterogeneity and inform the interpretation of previous findings.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the feasibility of EEG measurements as an objective indicator for the identification of tinnitus-associated neural activities.

Methods: To reduce heterogeneity, participants served as their own control using residual inhibition (RI) to modulate the tinnitus perception in a within-subject EEG study design with a tinnitus group. In addition, comparison with a nontinnitus control group allowed for a between-subjects comparison. We will apply RI stimulation to generate tinnitus and nontinnitus conditions in the same subject. Furthermore, high-frequency audiometry (up to 13 kHz) and tinnitometry will be performed.

Results: This work was funded by the Infrastructure Grant of the University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland and Bernafon AG, Bern, Switzerland. Enrollment for the study described in this protocol commenced in February 2018. Data analysis is currently under way and the first results are expected to be submitted for publication in 2019.

Conclusions: This study design helps in comparing the neural activity between conditions in the same individual, thereby addressing a notable limitation of previous EEG tinnitus studies. In addition, the high-frequency assessment will help to analyze and classify tinnitus symptoms beyond the conventional clinical standard.

Citation

Hu, S., Anschuetz, L., Huth, M. E., Sznitman, R., Blaser, D., Kompis, M., …Wimmer, W. (2019). Association Between Residual Inhibition and Neural Activity in Patients with Tinnitus: Protocol for a Controlled Within- and Between-Subject Comparison Study. JMIR Research Protocols, 8(1), Article e12270. https://doi.org/10.2196/12270

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Oct 25, 2018
Online Publication Date Jan 9, 2019
Publication Date Jan 9, 2019
Deposit Date Jun 6, 2019
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal JMIR Research Protocols
Print ISSN 1929-0748
Electronic ISSN 1929-0748
Publisher JMIR Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 8
Issue 1
Article Number e12270
DOI https://doi.org/10.2196/12270
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1873254
Publisher URL https://www.researchprotocols.org/2019/1/e12270/