Neuroimaging and neuromodulation: complementary approaches for identifying the neuronal correlates of tinnitus

Autor: Berthold eLangguth, Martin eSchecklmann, Astrid eLehner, Michael eLandgrebe, Timm Benjamin Poeppl, Peter Michal Kreuzer, Winfried eSchlee, Nathan eWeisz, Sven eVanneste, Dirk eDe Ridder
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2012
Předmět:
Zdroj: Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, Vol 6 (2012)
ISSN: 1662-5137
DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2012.00015/full
Popis: An inherent limitation of functional imaging studies is their correlational approach. More information about critical contributions of specific brain regions can be gained by focal transient perturbation of neural activity in specific regions with noninvasive focal brain stimulation methods.Functional imaging studies have revealed that tinnitus is related to alterations in neuronal activity of central auditory pathways. Modulation of neuronal activity in auditory cortical areas by repetitive transcranial stimulation (rTMS) can reduce tinnitus loudness and, if applied repeatedly, exerts therapeutic effects, confirming the relevance of auditory cortex activation for tinnitus generation and persistence. Measurements of oscillatory brain activity before and after rTMS demonstrate that the same stimulation protocol has different effects on brain activity in different patients, presumably related to interindividual differences in baseline activity in the clinically heterogeneous study cohort.In addition to alterations in auditory pathways, imaging techniques also indicate the involvement of non-auditory brain areas, such as the fronto-parietal ‘awareness’ network and the non-tinnitus-specific distress network consisting of the anterior cingulate cortex, anterior insula and amygdale. Involvement of the hippocampus and the parahippocampal region putatively reflects the relevance of memory mechanisms in the persistence of the phantom percept and the associated distress. Preliminary studies targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and the parietal cortex with rTMS and with transcranial direct current stimulation confirm the relevance of the mentioned non-auditory networks. Available data indicate the important value added by brain stimulation as a complementary approach to neuroimaging for identifying the neuronal correlates of the various clinical aspects of tinnitus.
Databáze: OpenAIRE