The past 15 years has provided an unprecedented collection of discoveries that bear
upon our scientific understanding of the pathophysiology of tinnitus. Highlighted
among these discoveries is the fact that changes of brain activity accompany tinnitus.
All tinnitus theories refer to common concepts. First, peripheral lesions in the cochlea
or the auditory nerve produce dysfunctional input to central auditory structures and
induce changes in the auditory system. Associated to plastic changes in central auditory
structures, neuroimaging studies show signs of the implication of extra-auditory regions
in tinnitus pathophysiology. Collectively, these observations have led to important
new insights into the understanding of tinnitus. Here, we review the advances made
in this field of research using human functional neuroimaging methods.
Keywords
Neuroimaging methods - tinnitus - functional magnetic resonance imaging - positron
emission tomography - electroencephalography - magnetoencephalography - connectivity
- resting state