Prof. Thanos Tzounopoulos Receives $2 Million Grant

I do not understand how they can tell when the animal has or does not have tinnitus when it is something that is still difficult to verify in humans, knowing that animals do not speak!

 

My understanding is that the typical approach is to make a sound set at a specific volume level for which animals without tinnitus can hear the sound, and it causes a startle response. For animals with tinnitus, they do not hear the same sound (on account of the tinnitus) and it does not cause a startle response.

 

Basically: rat hears a sound -> gets food.

Repeat multiple times.

Rat goes for food when it hears a sound.

Induce tinnitus.

Rat goes for food without external stimulus -> rat has tinnitus.
Rat doesn't go for food without external stimulus -> rat has no tinnitus.

Tadaaa.