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Quantifying Tinnitus: Measurement of Cortical Thickening

Objective: Tinnitus is an auditory phenomenon categorized by perception of sound without external stimuli. The purpose of this study is to investigate radiological brain structural changes in tinnitus patients, in particular cortical thickness changes, and correlate these with severity of tinnitus as measured by the Newman Tinnitus Handicap Inventory score. Method: Liverpool Research Ethics Committee provided approval. Patients were recruited from audiology clinics. Cortical thicknesses of tinnitus patients were measured using a 1.5T MRI-scanner. In total 8 patients with bilateral tinnitus and 7 healthy control subjects without tinnitus were recruited for comparison. Data were analyzed using Brain Voyager QX. Results: The 8 bilateral tinnitus patients had a mean Newman-score of 60. Right hemisphere: significant cortical thinning found in middle temporal gyrus (P = .0081), inferior temporal gyrus (P = .052), precentral gyrus (P = .032), postcentral gyrus (P = .031), and temporal lobe (P = 0.023) in tinnitus patients compared with controls using the t test. Left hemisphere: significant cortical thinning was found in prefrontal gyrus (P = .058), middle frontal gyrus (P = .058), and posterior cingulate cortex (P = .045). Individual cortical thickness results analysis did not reveal correlation between tinnitus severity and cortical thinning. Conclusion: Preliminary evidence is presented, establishing a quantitative measure for tinnitus-related structural changes in cortical thickness. Reduced cortical thickness may contribute to negative emotions experienced by tinnitus sufferers. Findings are consistent with posttraumatic stress disorder studies. Similar treatment strategies may be employed for tinnitus patients. A larger population size is being assessed.