Study Shows Introverts Have Worse Tinnitus. Are You an Introvert?

Went to a t support group meeting at Georgetown univ medical center. Someone mentioned she saw an article about a study that show introverts who get t have a harder time dealing with it than extroverts, introvert brains are different than extrovert's brains.

So I'm curious how many on our forum are introverts?

 

Lol sounds like im an introvert... But alot of qualities in me are extrovert too soo hard to tell.

 

Introversion really is detetmined by where you get your energy. If you are tired do you get recharged by alone time (introvert) or being with other energetic people (extrovert).

 

I am 100 percent intro.

 

My MBTI profile is INTJ. With significant emphasis on I (= somewhat introverted). Introversion can be hard for others to detect; I am well-functioning socially, but when the workday is over, I prefer to be alone. Something only I know about myself...

I think the university group in this case consists of people looking for their 15 minutes of fame. At least - even if proven to be true, which I deem unlikely - what relevance would the finding bring.

 

I'm what most people would call an extrovert but when it comes to private thought processes and such, I'm a complete introvert and it takes a lot for me to actually reveal to others (even those I love) that I'm having bad thoughts or that I'm not feeling 100% okay and coping with the T is extremely hard for me.

 

Introvert for me. I am also an INTJ. Actually we done some investigating into personality types on the Skype Chat Tinnitus Support group...amazingly out of the 16 possible MB personality types a vast majority of us where INTJ's and nearly ALL of use were Introverted - the only person that was extroverted was predictably the person that was dealing best with their tinnitus. I definitely think personality types has a large impact on how we cope with t...but then personality type has an impact on how we cope with anything in life.

 

What a coincidence. I did a test for INTJ yesterday and turned out to be very introvert.

 

Well there is a theory that it's not a neural pathway that's firing the signal (well it is firing it) but that in the limbic area of the brain in some people, possibly introverts, there is a weaker "gatekeeper" that lets sounds through to be perceived. So if that's the case, there may be a cure through strengthening that gatekeeper. There is a lot of research on this at Georgetown med university in the neurology dept. it's an interesting thought, at least.

 

Not that only introverts get tinnitus. But we all know people who say yeah I have it but it's never bothered me and such as that. Or they habituate really quickly and don't go through as much anguish as, for example, people in this forum. They may have a more efficient "gatekeeper" and it MAY be they are extroverts. It's at least a theory to explore. CAT scans have proven that introvert and extrovert brains process everything entirely differently.

 

The limbic system as a tinnitus gatekeeper is not a new hypothesis, but this is the first time I've heard it specifically applied to introversion. I'm certain the research you heard about is from neuroscientist Josef P. Rauschecker, who is at Georgetown and is doing/has done several studies on the limbic system's role in tinnitus.

Here's an excerpt from a 2011 University of Georgetown's press release on Rauschecker's work:

Lead investigator and GUMC neuroscientist Josef P. Rauschecker and his research team note in the Jan. 13 issue of Neuron that the same process that causes tinnitus may be responsible for chronic pain and other perceptual disorders.

“We believe that a dysregulation of the limbic and auditory networks may be at the heart of chronic tinnitus,” Rauschecker says. “A complete understanding and ultimate cure of tinnitus may depend on a detailed understanding of the nature and basis of this dysregulation.”

Dysregulation refers to the impairment of a regulatory mechanism in the body.

PHANTOM SOUNDS
The absence of sound caused by age-related hearing loss, heavy exposure to noise or an accident can force the brain to produce sounds to replace what is missing, the researchers say.

Tinnitus results when the brain’s limbic system, which is involved in processing emotions and other functions, fails to stop these sounds from reaching conscious auditory processing, according to the GUMC study.

Functional lapses in certain areas of the brain have also been implicated in altered mood states and chronic pain.

SUPPRESSING SIGNALS
“Both of these conditions may also involve the inability to suppress unwanted sensory signals,” Rauschecker says.

The problem isn’t curable, but antidepressants and masking noise to diminish focus on the ringing sensations appears to help some patients.​

Reference: http://www.georgetown.edu/story/ringing-ears-brain-function/index.html

I'm certain one problem with introversion is the tendency to ruminate on problems. That tendency creates stress and combined with other personality traits and external influences may lead to developing depression and/or anxiety disorders. These disorders may wreck havoc on your brain and affect its resiliency (cognitive reserve) to respond to additional insults and stressors, such as tinnitus. People with tinnitus and those who have suffered from depression and/or anxiety disorders, for example, have lower levels of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which is important for neurogenesis and neuron survival.

 

T will change a person from being an extrovert to becoming an introvert.

 

Hi Denny,you've hit the nail on the head,yes I agree totally,before I got tinnitus I was an extrovert,this has now been reversed.people who know me has seen the change in me.Not by choice,how this condition can change a person virtually with a flick of a switch,easy as that.Some will deny it's not made any difference to them ,but anyone I know personally says it's changed how they use to be with having tinnitus. So I'm with you on this.

 

@jazz. You are spot on. Our support group is sponsored by ATA and is moderated by one of Dr Rauschecker's colleagues. It was very interesting to hear about what they are studying. Anyway I thought it was interesting enough to just check in and see how many of us are introverts....

 

Introvert. Extrovert. Whatever.

Why concern yourself with that sort of stuff? You play the hand you are dealt. Yea, it might be tougher for this, that, or the other reason. But the real question is, what are you going to do about it?

Stephen Nagler

 

I'm not "concerned" about it, I just found it interesting and thought others might find it interesting as well. I am habituating pretty well and pleased with my progress. I have a curious nature that enjoys learning new things.

 

I'm an INTP. I find I can deal with my tinntius well, all things considered. I'm not sure if it would be the same if my tinnitus were louder though.

 

Then perhaps use your curious nature to learn about geological phenomena in Tunisia? Or any of a gazillion other things that have nothing whatsoever to do with tinnitus. Why? Because if habituation is your goal, then every moment you spend unnecessarily thinking about tinnitus is a moment you are spending impeding your own progress. We necessarily think about it enough as is, no?

Stephen Nagler

 

Yes, it is interesting. Introversion or extraversion may be important considerations when developing and testing tinnitus therapeutics.

Here are some excerpts from a 2013 Discover internet article looking at brain differences between introverts and extraverts. For those interested, you should read the entire article:

For one thing, a 2012 study by Harvard psychologist Randy Buckner found that people who identify as introverts tend to have larger and thicker gray matter in certain areas of the prefrontal cortex, a highly complex brain region associated with abstract thought and decision-making. People who identify as strongly extroverted, on the other hand, tend to have thinner gray matter in those same prefrontal areas—which hints that introverts tend to devote more neural resources to abstract pondering, while extroverts tend to live in the moment.

...

Other studies have found that the right-hemisphere amygdala tends to be larger in extroverts than in introverts, as does the anterior cingulate cortex—except in female extroverts, whose anterior cingulate cortices are apparently smaller than those of female introverts. Since other studies have implicated the anterior cingulate in social error detection, this may point to some underlying (but still incompletely understood) differences in the ways introverts and extroverts process social missteps.

Personality differences may have physical effects. Though no one’s been able to measure a difference in reaction time between extroverts and introverts, researchers have found that an introvert’s premotor cortex tends to process stimuli more quickly than that of an extrovert.

Still other studies have found that cortical neurons of introverts and extroverts may respond differently to the neurotransmitter chemicals gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA)—an intriguing finding since both GABA and NMDA have both been implicated in anxiety disorders. [emphasis added]​

Whether the categories of introversion or extraversion will produce meaningful therapeutic differences remain to be seen, though at a neurotransmitter level the research appears promising. That said, I am glad researchers at Georgetown are studying these potential brain differences and how they might affect tinnitus therapeutics.

Reference: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/c...introverts-and-extroverts-actually-different/

 

@jazz. Thanks so much for all this followup info, I will certainly read the article. I'm fascinated about the brain, its plasticity and how it works. If you come across other such articles plz let me know! :~)

 

Makes sense. I am an introvert and spend most of my time alone in quiet environments. The perfect conditions for the bastard T-bugs to breed and barrage me with their shrill cruelty.

 

Yes, deffinately introvert ... and I also think there are people that have my kind of T and arn`t bothered by it ... but that is because there attention is on the outside and on the noise of life but my attention is on inside and silence of life ..

 

I'm an extrovert to the FULLEST. My biggest fear is that my T will cause me to become a introvert over time.

 

@ GMac14: You won't become an introvert, but you could develop some of the characteristics of introversion, but that's a choice you can make. If you read a lot of the posts of the old timers you'll get a feel for how you can get through the early months and get to where your t makes no difference in your life, and you go right on living the life you want. There are, for example, many musicians who have severe t but they get on stage every night and play their hearts out. The first weeks and months are pure hell, and when I first started reading on this forum I really didn't believe the ones who said t no longer bothered them. But I'm now getting there too so I believe it. You will be fine, just not right now, it takes time.

 

I don't think that logic is exactly correct. I know that in my own case, I spent a good while reading research papers and getting familiar with tinnitus from a research standpoint. I think it gave me a more objective and emotionally neutral way of thinking about it.

I think one should read the research (or do research) if that's one's inclination. If one were simply to avoid thinking about tinnitus as much as possible, no one should undergo treatments such as Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, since you have to learn some things about tinnitus in them.

 

@jchinnis, there's research and there's research.

I never said to avoid thinking about tinnitus as much as possible. What I said is to avoid thinking about tinnitus any more than absolutely necessary. A certain amount of research is necessary; indeed a certain amount of research is very helpful.

But there does come a point wherein reading about tinnitus can become counterproductive.

I cannot see how reading about tinnitus as related to introverts and extroverts can help facilitate habituation, but maybe others do not see it as I.

Stephen Nagler

 

Thanks Isabella! I think I'm really learning how to cope. I realized that with T there are some things I just can't do, concerts being one of them. However, that doesn't mean life stops, you simply adapt to the situation. Now I enjoy cooking, skiing, playing tennis, golfing and just hanging out with friends on a quiet patio or enjoying a good video game.

 

I love studying the brain (wish I had one ). I agree with @jchinnis about researching to formulate an objective opinion; unless, of course, it leads to a ruminating over the issue (that's counter-productive). For me, however, learning about the components and processes of T has actually helped me deal (better). Then again, I'm a 'black-box' kind of guy that always wants to know what makes things work and what I can do with them.

 

@Isabella 123 I thought this was a fun thread (thanx); it launched me into a bunch of curious and interesting research adventures. But it begs the question, how many introverts read this thread and failed to respond

How many introverts does it take to change a light bulb? None. Having the lights on just encourages people to come and visit...