The pathophysiology of tinnitus: Involvement of the somatosensory, brain, and limbic systems

Abstract

This study reviewed the pathophysiology of tinnitus. Tinnitus is a symptom that a subject perceives sound regardless of external stimuli. Tinnitus sufferers have reported varying sound types, loudness, and duration of tinnitus. Also, the pathophysiology of tinnitus is also reported to be varied. We searched a web database and found 2,545 articles related to tinnitus. The selection criteria for articles to be reviewed was the year of publication, research category, participant characteristic, publication type, and area of study. Thirty-three studies on the pathophysiology of tinnitus were finally selected and reviewed. Tinnitus pathophysiology was reviewed in relation to the somatosensory, brain, and limbic systems. Fourteen sub-regions were identified to be associated with tinnitus. The data on each sub-region was also reviewed, including its primary role and the tinnitus trigger mechanism. The results of this study can be used as baseline data for studies attempting to understand the mechanism of tinnitus and develop intervention methods.