relationship between audiometric slope and tinnitus pitch in tinnitus patients insights into the mechanisms of tinnitus generation听力测定的斜率之间的关系和耳鸣音调耳鸣患者的见解耳鸣产生的机制.pdfVIP

Relationship between Audiometric Slope and Tinnitus Pitch in Tinnitus Patients: Insights into the Mechanisms of Tinnitus Generation 1,2 2,3 3 1,2 Martin Schecklmann , Veronika Vielsmeier , Thomas Steffens , Michael Landgrebe , Berthold Langguth1,2, Tobias Kleinjung2,3,4* 1 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany, 2 Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Clinic, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany, 3 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany, 4 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland Abstract Background: Different mechanisms have been proposed to be involved in tinnitus generation, among them reduced lateral inhibition and homeostatic plasticity. On a perceptual level these different mechanisms should be reflected by the relationship between the individual audiometric slope and the perceived tinnitus pitch. Whereas some studies found the tinnitus pitch corresponding to the maximum hearing loss, others stressed the relevance of the edge frequency. This study investigates the relationship between tinnitus pitch and audiometric slope in a large sample. Methodology: This retrospective observational study analyzed 286 patients. The matched tinnitus pitch was compared to the frequency of maximum hearing loss and the edge of the audiogram (steepest hearing loss) by t-tests and correlation coefficients. These analyses were performed for the whole group and for sub-groups (uni- vs. bilateral (117 vs. 338 ears), pure-tone vs. narrow-band (340 vs. 115 ears), and low and high audiometric slope (114 vs. 113 ears)). Findings: For the right ear, tinnitus pitch was in th