A systematic review on imaging studies on tinnitus: is there evidence for abnormal brain activity in tinnitus patients

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I, (Name) wish to proclaim that all contents of this work / memory stand in my own work without any support, and this thesis / dissertation has been no research on the academic and professional in the past. It also signifies my own views and does not closely relate to the university.

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DECLARATION

I, (Your name), would like to declare that all contents included in this study stand for my individual work without any aid, and this proposal has not been submitted for any examination at academic as well as professional level, previously. It is also represents my very own views and not essentially those that are associated with other university.

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ABSTRACT

A series of brain imaging studies during the past decades, have shed new light on the origin of tinnitus. This review will summarise human brain imaging studies and will try to find out evidence for the abnormal brain activity in the patients of tinnitus. It will describe the diagnostic approach for investigating the patient of tinnitus. The researcher aims to find the evidence for the abnormal brain activity in the patient of tinnitus. There are various imaging studies that are used to diagnose the patients suffering from tinnitus. Tinnitus is an insight or sound perception in the absence of any corresponding or analogous external sound. It is not a disease but a symptom generated within the auditory pathway. The cause is not fully understood. This study will be extracted from the secondary data. To locate the relevant literature the researches will be conducted from MEDLINE, Bio Med Central and Pub Med Central Database by using the key words such as tinnitus, abnormal brain activity and imaging studies on tinnitus. Many studies were investigated to review the diagnostic procedures and imaging studies of tinnitus. Regarding tinnitus, the imaging studies suggested and have revealed increased hyperactivity and neural activity in the cortical and sub cortical auditory centres. This study also shows how the imaging technique such as fMRI, PET, SPECT, and MEG helps to give diagnosis of subjective and objective tinnitus. These studies have confirmed that the limbic system is also involved in the neural basis of tinnitus. Furthermore the pulsatile and non pulsatile diagnosis procedures are defined. This study also discusses the selected researches in detail and their findings. Based on the findings of the reviewed literature, the future areas of research have been identified and suggested. In detail analysis and review indicates the distinction, along with a clinical evaluation, determining the most suitable imaging study.

Table of contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTii

DECLARATIONiii

ABSTRACTiv

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Purpose of the Study1

Physiology of tinnitus1

Background of the Study3

Aims and Objectives4

Problem Statement and Significance of the study5

Research Questions5

Outline of the Study6

LITERATURE REVIEW7

Tinnitus and imaging studies7

Types of tinnitus8

Objective tinnitus9

Subjective tinnitus9

Diagnosis of tinnitus10

Clinical Evaluation of Tinnitus and the Role of Imaging10

Expected Yield and Imaging Technique Choice11

Difference in the brain of tinnitus patients12

Differing functioning of the brain between the normal hearing and people with tinnitus13

Auditory processing14

Theories ...