June 2021: Vote on Your Favourite Research Paper!

Okay, this will be the last voting round for 2021, so please take the opportunity to vote (once again) now!

[NB: You need to be logged in to vote. Don't have an account? Signing up is easy, click here.]

You can also still vote for January, February, March, April and May — we will keep all of these open for the next few weeks to gather as much voting data as possible.

We know it takes a bit of time to read through and carefully consider what to vote for, but remember it's for a good cause! Once we analyze all the voting results and share them with the research community, we'll be sending a clear and loud signal about the kind of research the tinnitus community wants to see!

INSTRUCTIONS: 1) Read the summaries below — especially created for you to help you digest these papers easily; and 2) select your favourite paper in the poll.

A big shout out once again to @Frédéric and @Aaron91 for preparing the list and summaries!

The reason this is the last 2021 round is because we want to take the time to analyze the voting data from the past six months and publish a report summarizing the voting results, which we can then share with the research community. We will also use insights from this analysis to come up with an even better voting system for 2022.

Any data analysts out there who want to help with analyzing the voting data from the first half of 2021?!?

Thanks for taking the time to vote!



Tinnitus Research Papers Published in June 2021

1. The balance between Bayesian inference and default mode determines the generation of tinnitus from decreased auditory input: A volume entropy-based study
This study used resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) to compare information flow to different parts of the brain. A comparison was made between those with peripheral hearing loss with tinnitus (HL-T) and those with peripheral hearing loss and no tinnitus (HL-NT). The results suggests that balance between the Baynesian inferential network (areas involved in updating missing auditory information) and the DMN (areas for maintaining “silent status quo”) determines whether a phantom sound occurs in a brain with peripheral hearing loss.

2. The Complex-Pole Filter Representation (COFRE) for spectral modeling of fNIRS signals
This study applies a new approach for spectrum modeling in biomedical signals (COFRE) to identify frequency markers in the brain that characterize tinnitus. Brain signals were measured with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), an emerging method detecting brain oxygenation levels. Data from six patients with subjective tinnitus and seven healthy participants were compared. A significant decrease in signal power was observed in tinnitus patients in the left temporal lobe. In particular, several tinnitus signatures related to spectral blood flow information were identified.

3. Central Processing in Tinnitus: fMRI Study Outlining Patterns of Activation Using an Auditory Discrimination Task in Normal Versus Tinnitus Patients
This study investigated brain activity differences between patients with subjective idiopathic tinnitus, patients with both tinnitus and hearing loss, and healthy controls, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Task performance and Tinnitus Handicap Inventory scores were recorded. The study found that it is possible to predict auditory task performance in patients with tinnitus by looking at the activity of specific regions of interest. More specifically, Heschl's gyrus, angular gyrus, cerebellar, and limbic system activity are important contributors to neurological activity associated with tinnitus.

4. The Efficacy of Digital Hearing Aids in the Management of Tinnitus in Individuals with Sensorineural Hearing Loss
The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of three different types of hearing aids in the management of tinnitus. Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) scores were taken before and after treatment in 108 subjects. All three types of digital programmable hearing aids provided appreciable mitigation of tinnitus. Hearing aids with an inbuilt masker were found to give the best benefit.

5. A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Notched Music Therapy for Tinnitus Patients
The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy between a tailor-made notched music therapy and ordinary music in tinnitus patients. A double-blind, randomized, controlled trial was conducted on 104 Thai patients with chronic subjective tinnitus who were assessed at 1, 3 and 6 months. The treatment group showed a greater reduction in Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and Visual Analog Scale scores than the control group during the follow-up period.

6. The Relationship Between Tinnitus Pitch, Audiogram Edge Frequency, and Auditory Stream Segregation Abilities in Individuals With Tinnitus
The aim of this study was to estimate the relationship between tinnitus pitch, audiogram edge frequency, and speech perception in noise. Some 13 individuals with bilateral mild-to-severe tonal tinnitus and minimal-to-mild cochlear hearing loss and 13 individuals with hearing loss without tinnitus were selected. The study found a high correlation between tinnitus pitch and audiogram edge frequency, i.e. the frequency at which hearing loss worsens relatively abruptly. Furthermore, speech perception in noise difficulties were higher for individuals with tinnitus, particularly at the frequency corresponding to tinnitus pitch.

7. The efficacy of acoustic therapy versus oral medication for chronic tinnitus: A meta-analysis
The aim of this meta-analysis study was to compare the efficacy of acoustic therapy (AT) and drug therapy (DT) for chronic tinnitus. A total of 18 studies across 1,774 patients (926 treated with AT and 812 treated with DT) were compared. Compared with DT, AT can significantly improve the efficacy of tinnitus and reduce the symptoms of tinnitus patients. Clinically, it can vigorously promote the application value of treating tinnitus by sound.

8. A comparative study on photobiological effects of low-level laser therapy and tinnitus retraining therapy in patients with acoustic trauma-induced tinnitus
This study investigated the photobiological effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) in patients with acoustic trauma-induced tinnitus. Some 60 patients suffering from acoustic trauma-induced tinnitus for more than six months were divided into three groups of LLLT, TRT and LLLT + TRT. The Persian version of tinnitus handicap inventory (P-THI), visual analog scale (VAS), and loudness match (LM) scale were used to collect data. The study recommended the use of LLLT plus TRT as a therapeutic protocol, citing remarkable effects in reducing acoustic trauma-induced tinnitus symptoms. The use of LLLT method alone, however, was not recommended due to its lower effects.

9. Evidence of Tinnitus Development Due to Stress: An Experimental Study in Rats
The aim of this study was to investigate stress as a possible causal factor in the development of tinnitus in an animal study. Wistar rats were divided according to single or double exposure to noise and restraint stress. Tinnitus appeared to develop after stress alone and the study concluded that an imbalance in excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the hippocampus may be related to the development of tinnitus after acute noise exposure and/or stress.

10. Neuropsychological monitoring of current acoustic therapies as alternative treatment of chronic tinnitus
This study compared sound therapies based on music, retraining, neuromodulation, and binaural sounds through neuro-audiology assessments and psychological evaluations in 76 volunteers with tinnitus for 60 days. The neuro-audiology assessment revealed that the whole frequency structure of the neural networks showed a higher level of activeness in tinnitus sufferers than in control individuals. The psychological evaluation showed that retraining treatment tended to be the most effective sound-based therapy to reduce tinnitus perception, but it may be not recommended for individuals with anxiety. Binaural sounds and neuromodulation produced very similar effects at reducing tinnitus perception, stress and anxiety. Music treatments should be applied with caution since they may worsen the condition due to their frequency content.

11. Restoration of Deafferentation Reduces Tinnitus, Anxiety, and Depression: A Retrospective Study on Cochlear Implant Patients
This retrospective study investigated the effect of cochlear implants (CIs) on tinnitus distress and psychological comorbidities in patients with profound bilateral deafness. Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, Visual Analog Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale Questionnaire, Categories of Auditory Performance and Speech Intelligibility scores were measured in 51 patients before and after CI implantation. Cochlear implantation showed positive therapeutic effects on tinnitus and psychological comorbidities, including tinnitus severity, better hearing, depression and anxiety.

12. Long-Term Prognosis of Tinnitus Associated with Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
The aim of this study was to analyze the factors affecting the long-term prognosis of tinnitus accompanied by unilateral idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). A total of 161 patients with sudden hearing loss accompanied by tinnitus were enrolled. The study found that tinnitus after SSNHL has a tendency of self-recovery and that the short-term prognosis of tinnitus may be related to psychological changes caused by hearing recovery, while the long-term prognosis of residual tinnitus after SSNHL is related only to the initial tinnitus level, with a median recovery time of approximately 2 years.

 

Thanks for asking! So we now have polling data from the past 6 months, and the question is how do we glean meaningful insights from this?

If we're going to share the results with researchers, in the hope that they will take note and direct their research efforts in directions we like, then we have to show them a persuasive analysis demonstrating what the tinnitus community wants.

How we should accomplish this, I'm not sure, but once we have a working group in place I'm sure we can figure out together how to go about it...