If Tinnitus Was From Damaged Hair Cells, Would Everyone Not Have It After 45?

[martin12]

If T is from so called damaged inner ear hair cells then why does the entire population over 45 not have T?

Every year a certain number of hair cells diminish as the human gets older and older. If T is truly from damaged hair cells in the high frequency range then my assumption is everyone in there 40's or even late 30's should develop T as high frequency hearing loss/hair cells slowly diminish.

The loss of inner/outer ear hair cells just does not make much logical sense.

I'm more inclined to T being in the brain and resulting from "shock" or "trauma" whether noise or non-noise trauma relationship.

 

[attheedgeofscience]

If I knew the answer to your question, I would be up for the Nobel Prize in Medicine (as Dr. Nagler would often say...). Reality is that some people develop tinnitus earlier than others. And "reality always wins". That's the way it is...

 

[Mark McDill]

If T is from so called damaged inner ear hair cells then why does the entire population over 45 not have T?

Every year a certain number of hair cells diminish as the human gets older and older. If T is truly from damaged hair cells in the high frequency range then my assumption is everyone in there 40's or even late 30's should develop T as high frequency hearing loss/hair cells slowly diminish.

The loss of inner/outer ear hair cells just does not make much logical sense.

I'm more inclined to T being in the brain and resulting from "shock" or "trauma" whether noise or non-noise trauma relationship.

Martin
I know what you mean; I found some info on the neuro-science of T and I'm inclined to agree with you (that it's in the brain). However, I still believe our perception of sound (actual hearing) must be taken into account and understood comprehensively -- all the way from the physical to the extremely abstract concept of perception; it all works together and is very complex. I know for a fact that my neck has a lot to do with my T (my neck is a mess) but there's no denying the brain part of my T either.

Here's the links I found; maybe you can understand better then me (I'm no doc). I'd be interested in @attheedgeofscience 's take on the neuroscience of T (WAY over my head -- but I understand the salient points they are making).

http://books.google.com/books?id=lJ...he auditory system&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/7/80

Mark

 

[Telis]

I know someone in the music industry, almost deaf and no T. Who the F knows.

 

[martin12]

The explanation of hearing loss due to inner/outer hair cells doesn't make sense, Tinnitus has to be in the brain and has to come from a traumatic event. Thus i subscribe it to a "red alert" of our bodies that something is not right, or an alert that something needs to be corrected. Whether traumatic event is loud sound exposure or injury. I also subscribe to Tinnitus being a signal that the body is in need of a shutdown or REST.

Most of the population with hearing loss has a hearing aid, yet a large majority in most cases do not have Tinnitus.

 

[martin12]

"Animals and humans have shown that tinnitus is characterized by a hyperactive auditory cortex. This hyperactivity is generally thought to arise from the synchronous firing of neurons as a result of deafferentation (e.g., cochlear trauma, nerve injury, etc). How regions of the cortex become hyper-excitable after loss of peripheral input is not well understood. One hypothesis is based on Llinás"s theory of thalamo-cortical dysrythmia (Llinás, 1999) in which the thalamus decreases its firing rate as a result of deafferentation of frequency specific input. Neurons in the cortex that normally receive inputs at these frequencies now respond to adjacent frequencies due to loss of lateral inhibition. According to Llinás theory, the thalamocortical firing rate slows down to the theta range (4-8 Hz) resulting in a loss of lateral inhibition. This is accompanied by a persistent 40 Hz oscillation at the edge frequencies. This spontaneous and persistent firing is thought to be responsible for the tinnitus percept."

 

[dan]

The explanation of hearing loss due to inner/outer hair cells doesn't make sense, Tinnitus has to be in the brain and has to come from a traumatic event. Thus i subscribe it to a "red alert" of our bodies that something is not right, or an alert that something needs to be corrected. Whether traumatic event is loud sound exposure or injury. I also subscribe to Tinnitus being a signal that the body is in need of a shutdown or REST.

Most of the population with hearing loss has a hearing aid, yet a large majority in most cases do not have Tinnitus.

Shutdown as in a 9mm to the temple.

 

[Stina]

Most likely its a combination of damaged ear hair cells + the way your brain is. Nobody knows...

 

[attheedgeofscience]

yet a large majority in most cases do not have Tinnitus

Is that so...? I learn something everyday, I guess...

 

[Markku]

Regarding the prevalence of tinnitus associated with hearing loss:

Source: http://www.ata.org/sites/ata.org/fi..._the_sound_of_hearing_loss_meikle_sept_02.pdf