Tinnitus-related changes in the inferior colliculus

Tinnitus is highly complex, diverse, and difficult to treat, in part due to the fact that the underlying causes and mechanisms remain elusive. Tinnitus is generated within the auditory brain, however, consolidating our understanding of tinnitus pathophysiology is difficult due to the diversity of re...

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Main Authors: Joel I Berger, Ben eCoomber
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2015-03-01
Series:Frontiers in Neurology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fneur.2015.00061/full
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spelling doaj-b41fd56bd04944f4a6f522ea705437f72020-11-24T22:57:12ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurology1664-22952015-03-01610.3389/fneur.2015.00061129603Tinnitus-related changes in the inferior colliculusJoel I Berger0Ben eCoomber1MRC Institute of Hearing ResearchMRC Institute of Hearing ResearchTinnitus is highly complex, diverse, and difficult to treat, in part due to the fact that the underlying causes and mechanisms remain elusive. Tinnitus is generated within the auditory brain, however, consolidating our understanding of tinnitus pathophysiology is difficult due to the diversity of reported effects and the variety of implicated brain nuclei. Here, we focus on the inferior colliculus, a midbrain structure that integrates the vast majority of ascending auditory information and projects via the thalamus to the auditory cortex. The IC is also a point of convergence for corticofugal input and input originating outside the auditory pathway. We review the evidence, from both studies with human subjects and from animal models, for the contribution the inferior colliculus makes to tinnitus. Changes in the IC, caused by either noise exposure or drug administration, involve fundamental, heterogeneous alterations in the balance of excitation and inhibition. However, differences between hearing loss-induced pathology and tinnitus-related pathology are not well understood. Moreover, variability in tinnitus induction methodology has a significant impact on subsequent neural and behavioural changes, which could explain some of the seemingly contradictory data. Nonetheless, the inferior colliculus is likely involved in the generation and persistence of tinnitus perception.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fneur.2015.00061/fullTinnitusauditorysalicylateinferior colliculus (IC)Acoustic Over-Exposure
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Joel I Berger
Ben eCoomber
spellingShingle Joel I Berger
Ben eCoomber
Tinnitus-related changes in the inferior colliculus
Frontiers in Neurology
Tinnitus
auditory
salicylate
inferior colliculus (IC)
Acoustic Over-Exposure
author_facet Joel I Berger
Ben eCoomber
author_sort Joel I Berger
title Tinnitus-related changes in the inferior colliculus
title_short Tinnitus-related changes in the inferior colliculus
title_full Tinnitus-related changes in the inferior colliculus
title_fullStr Tinnitus-related changes in the inferior colliculus
title_full_unstemmed Tinnitus-related changes in the inferior colliculus
title_sort tinnitus-related changes in the inferior colliculus
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
series Frontiers in Neurology
issn 1664-2295
publishDate 2015-03-01
description Tinnitus is highly complex, diverse, and difficult to treat, in part due to the fact that the underlying causes and mechanisms remain elusive. Tinnitus is generated within the auditory brain, however, consolidating our understanding of tinnitus pathophysiology is difficult due to the diversity of reported effects and the variety of implicated brain nuclei. Here, we focus on the inferior colliculus, a midbrain structure that integrates the vast majority of ascending auditory information and projects via the thalamus to the auditory cortex. The IC is also a point of convergence for corticofugal input and input originating outside the auditory pathway. We review the evidence, from both studies with human subjects and from animal models, for the contribution the inferior colliculus makes to tinnitus. Changes in the IC, caused by either noise exposure or drug administration, involve fundamental, heterogeneous alterations in the balance of excitation and inhibition. However, differences between hearing loss-induced pathology and tinnitus-related pathology are not well understood. Moreover, variability in tinnitus induction methodology has a significant impact on subsequent neural and behavioural changes, which could explain some of the seemingly contradictory data. Nonetheless, the inferior colliculus is likely involved in the generation and persistence of tinnitus perception.
topic Tinnitus
auditory
salicylate
inferior colliculus (IC)
Acoustic Over-Exposure
url http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fneur.2015.00061/full
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