TNF Alpha and Brain Inflammation

[Sir Ringsalot]

I apologize if this sounds undermining, but how would we know if a mouse has tinnitus in the first place?

 

[Scruffiey]

I apologize if this sounds undermining, but how would we know if a mouse has tinnitus in the first place?

You mean… you can't talk to mice?

Researchers either train them to be afraid of a tinnitus-like sound using some form of conditioning, such as a shock or another aversive method, or they create a kind of inverse tinnitus by playing a constant sound. When a brief moment of silence is inserted, it startles the mice.

Once tinnitus is induced through repeated exposure to loud noise, the mice either remain in a constant state of distress or stop reacting when sound is removed, because their brains are already filling in the silence.

I believe they also sometimes study this using brain scans and similar techniques.