Health-Related Quality of Life in Subjective, Chronic Tinnitus Patients: A Scoping Review.

Purpose: This scoping review aims to assess whether the severity or distress of subjective tinnitus is negatively associated or correlated with the level of health-related quality of life (HRQoL). A second objective is to examine whether tinnitus patients score differently on HRQoL questionnaires in comparison to subjects without tinnitus and whether HRQoL differs between specific subgroups of tinnitus.

Methods: This scoping review adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PRISMA guidelines): the statement and extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR).

Tinnitus suppression by means of cochlear implantation: does it affect cognition?

Purpose: Recent literature suggests that tinnitus can impact cognition, but results were varied due to a diversity in investigated aspects of cognition and utilized tests, as well as the possible influence of confounding factors. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of tinnitus loudness on cognition by use of a within-subjects design in patients with a cochlear implant (CI). In this population, tinnitus loudness can be modulated by switching the CI on or off as CI is known to highly suppress tinnitus.

Listening effort and fatigue among cochlear implant users: a scoping review.

Introduction: In challenging listening situations, speech perception with a cochlear implant (CI) remains demanding and requires high levels of listening effort, which can lead to increased levels of listening-related fatigue. The body of literature on these topics increases as the number of CI users rises. This scoping review aims to provide an overview of the existing literature on listening effort, fatigue, and listening-related fatigue among CI users and the measurement techniques to evaluate them.

Contralateral hearing aid use in adult cochlear implant recipients: retrospective analysis of auditory outcomes.

Objective: To investigate retrospectively the frequency of usage of bimodal stimulation among cochlear implant (CI) users, as well its clinical benefit relative to unilateral use.

Design: All subjects had been monitored with the clinical Minimal Outcome Measurements test battery.

Study Samples: 103 adults with bilateral postlingual profound sensorineural hearing loss and unilateral CI use were extracted from the local database.

Prevalence of tinnitus and hyperacusis in 9-12-year-old children.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of tinnitus and hyperacusis in children aged 9-12 years in Flanders, as well as to explore the associations with hearing abilities and listening behaviours.

Design: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken in four different Flemish schools. The questionnaire was distributed among 415 children, with a response rate of 97.

Exploding Head Syndrome among Patients Seeking Help for Tinnitus and/or Hyperacusis at an Audiology Department in the UK: A Preliminary Study.

Background:  Exploding head syndrome (EHS) is characterized by hearing a sudden loud noise or experiencing a sense of explosion in head during the transition of sleep-wake or wake-sleep. The experience of EHS shares similarities with tinnitus, where an individual perceives a sound without any external sound source. To the authors' knowledge, the possible relationship between EHS and tinnitus has not been explored.

Impact of hearing impairment and cochlear implantation on productivity and social well-being in a professionally active but severely hearing-impaired group: protocol of the 'Hear again, work again' longitudinal prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Severe hearing loss is a sensory deficit with considerable impact on the patient's daily life and on society. Previous research has established occupational obstacles in professionally active patients with hearing loss. However, studies investigating the impact of severe hearing loss and cochlear implantation (CI) on work performance using a quantitative and longitudinal study design and validated questionnaires are lacking.

Effectiveness of Telerehabilitation Interventions for Self-management of Tinnitus: Systematic Review.

Background: Tinnitus is a highly prevalent symptom affecting 10%-20% of the adult population. Most patients with tinnitus have chronic tinnitus, which can directly or indirectly disrupt their daily life and negatively affect the health-related quality of life. Therefore, patients with tinnitus are frequently in need of costly and time-consuming treatments.

Dual-site transcranial direct current stimulation to treat tinnitus: a randomized controlled trial.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been proposed as a potential intervention for subjective tinnitus, but supporting evidence remains limited. We aimed to investigate the effect of anodal high-definition tDCS of the left temporal area and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on tinnitus severity. This double-blind randomized controlled trial included 77 patients (age range 18-79, 43 male) with chronic subjective tinnitus as their primary complaint.

Pilot study on the role of somatic modulation in hyperacusis.

Background: Hyperacusis is a reduced tolerance to sounds that often co-occurs with tinnitus. Both symptoms have convergent as well as divergent characteristics. Somatic modulation, changes in pitch or loudness during certain movements, is common in patients with a primary complaint of tinnitus.

Brainstem evoked auditory potentials in tinnitus: A best-evidence synthesis and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Accumulating evidence suggests a role of the brainstem in tinnitus generation and modulation. Several studies in chronic tinnitus patients have reported latency and amplitude changes of the different peaks of the auditory brainstem response, possibly reflecting neural changes or altered activity. The aim of the systematic review was to assess if alterations within the brainstem of chronic tinnitus patients are reflected in short- and middle-latency auditory evoked potentials (AEPs).

Random Forest Classification to Predict Response to High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Tinnitus Relief: A Preliminary Feasibility Study.

Objectives: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex has been hypothesized to reduce tinnitus severity by modifying cortical activity in brain regions associated with the perception of tinnitus. However, individual response to tDCS has proven to be variable. We investigated the feasibility of using random forest classification to predict the response to high-definition (HD) tDCS for tinnitus relief.

Cost-effectiveness of a smartphone Application for Tinnitus Treatment (the CATT trial): a study protocol of a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Tinnitus is a highly prevalent symptom, affecting 10-15% of the adult population. Tinnitus influenced by alterations in somatosensory afference from the neck or jaw is referred to as somatic tinnitus (ST). ST is known to respond positively to physiotherapy treatment; however, it is challenging to motivate patients to systematically perform home exercises correctly, and the necessary tinnitus counselling is often lacking.

The International Vocabulary of Tinnitus.

Tinnitus is a common experience which can have a severe impact on ones quality of life. Whilst there have been reports of historical references to tinnitus, there has not been an international cross-sectional analysis of the vocabulary used for tinnitus. In this study, with 227 respondents (of which 53.

Cortical auditory evoked potentials, brain signal variability and cognition as biomarkers to detect the presence of chronic tinnitus.

The current limited understanding of tinnitus neurophysiology is one of the major obstacles in developing effective treatments for chronic tinnitus. As such, there is an urgent need for knowledge on underlying neural and/or neurobehavioral correlates that might function as potential biomarkers for tinnitus. We aimed to develop a model for the detection of tinnitus cases based on such potential biomarkers.

Hyperacusis: demographic, audiological, and clinical characteristics of patients at the ENT department.

Purpose: To document whether patients with and without hyperacusis differ from each other on demographic, audiological, and clinical characteristics.

Methods: Based on the Hyperacusis Questionnaire's (HQ) cut-off (HQ > 28), a total of 2301 participants were divided into patients with and without hyperacusis. Demographic data, scores on self-reported questionnaires [Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI), Visual Analogue Scale of tinnitus loudness (VAS), Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS)], and audiological parameters were retrospectively analysed to determine differential factors between the two groups.

Reduction of Somatic Tinnitus Severity is Mediated by Improvement of Temporomandibular Disorders.

Background: Successful orofacial treatment can reduce tinnitus severity in patients with somatic tinnitus (ST). However, it is still unclear to what extent the degree of reduction in temporomandibular disorders (TMD) actually contributes to the decrease in tinnitus severity after orofacial treatment. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the mediating effect of reduction in TMD pain on the improvement of tinnitus severity after multidisciplinary orofacial treatment.

Hearing more to hear less: a scoping review of hearing aids for tinnitus relief.

Objective: As tinnitus is often associated with hearing loss, hearing aids have been proposed for tinnitus relief in literature for more than 70 years. There is a need for recent literature to be reviewed and guide decision making in tinnitus management. This scoping review aims to provide an update of the available evidence on hearing aids for tinnitus, focussing on the effect of sound amplification or combination devices (i.

Long-term effects of a single psycho-educational session in chronic tinnitus patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of a single psycho-educational session on tinnitus burden in chronic tinnitus patients. The session is organized at a tertiary referral center for otologic disorders at the University Hospital Antwerp as a group session (maximum of 10-15 patients a time) lasting for approximately 3-4 h. The session focusses on different aspects of tinnitus.

Doctoral Studies as part of an Innovative Training Network (ITN): Early Stage Researcher (ESR) experiences.

The Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Actions' (MSCA) Innovative Training Network (ITN) is a doctoral training programme jointly implemented by academic institutions and industries from countries across Europe and beyond. To our knowledge no study has examined the experience of students participating in MSCA-ITNs. This study aims to evaluate and report MSCA-ITN Early Stage Researcher (ESR) experiences.

Corrigendum: Multidisciplinary Tinnitus Research: Challenges and Future Directions From the Perspective of Early Stage Researchers.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.

Investigating tinnitus subgroups based on hearing-related difficulties.

Purpose: Meaningfully grouping individuals with tinnitus who share a common characteristics (ie, subgrouping, phenotyping) may help tailor interventions to certain tinnitus subgroups and hence reduce outcome variability. The purpose of this study was to test if the presence of tinnitus subgroups are discernible based on hearing-related comorbidities, and to identify predictors of tinnitus severity for each subgroup identified.

Methods: An exploratory cross-sectional study was used.

High Definition transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) for chronic tinnitus: Outcomes from a prospective longitudinal large cohort study.

Background: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) aims to induce cortical plasticity by modulating the activity of brain structures. The broad stimulation pattern, which is one of the main limitations of tDCS, can be overcome with the recently developed technique called High-Definition tDCS (HD-tDCS).

Objective: Investigation of the effect of HD-tDCS on tinnitus in a large patient cohort.

Multidisciplinary Tinnitus Research: Challenges and Future Directions From the Perspective of Early Stage Researchers.

Tinnitus can be a burdensome condition on both individual and societal levels. Many aspects of this condition remain elusive, including its underlying mechanisms, ultimately hindering the development of a cure. Interdisciplinary approaches are required to overcome long-established research challenges.

Suggestions for shaping tinnitus service provision in Western Europe: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Tinnitus severity has been exacerbated because of the COVID-19 pandemic and those with tinnitus require additional support. Such support should be informed by patient preferences and needs. The objective of this study was to gather information from individuals with tinnitus living in Europe to inform stakeholders of the (a) support they needed in relation to changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and (b) suggestions regarding tinnitus care for the future.