TY - JOUR
T1 - Tinnitus
T2 - A Dimensionally Segregated, yet Perceptually Integrated Heterogeneous Disorder
AU - Yasoda-Mohan, Anusha
AU - Adcock, Katherine
AU - Leong, Sook Ling
AU - Meade, Emma
AU - Langguth, Berthold
AU - Schecklmann, Martin
AU - Lim, Hubert
AU - Vanneste, Sven
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Association for Research in Otolaryngology 2024.
PY - 2024/4
Y1 - 2024/4
N2 - Objectives: Tinnitus subtypes are proposed to lie on a continuum of different symptom dimensions rather than be categorical. However, there is no comprehensive empirical data showing this complex relationship between different tinnitus symptoms. The objective of this study is to provide empirical evidence for the dimensional nature of tinnitus and how different auditory and non-auditory symptoms interact with each other through complex interactions. We do this using graph theory, a mathematical tool that empirically maps this complex interaction. This way, graph theory can be utilised to highlight a new and possibly important outlook on how we can understand the heterogeneous nature of tinnitus. Design: In the current study, we use the screening databases of the Treatment Evaluation of Neuromodulation for Tinnitus-Stage A1 (TENT-A1) and A2 (TENT-A2) randomised trials to delineate the dimensional relationship between different clinical measures of tinnitus as a secondary data analysis. We first calculate the empirical relationship by computing the partial correlation. Following this, we use different measures of centrality to describe the contribution of different clinical measures to the overall network. We also calculate the stability of the network and compare the similarity and differences between TENT-A1 and TENT-A2. Results: Components of the auditory subnetwork (loudness discomfort level, sound sensitivity, average hearing loss and high frequency hearing loss) are highly inter-connected in both networks with sound sensitivity and loudness discomfort level being highly influential with high measures of centrality. Furthermore, the relationship between the densely connected auditory subnetwork with tinnitus-related distress seems to vary at different levels of distress, hearing loss, duration and age of the participants. Conclusion: Our findings provide first-time evidence for tinnitus varying in a dimensional fashion illustrating the heterogeneity of this phantom percept and its ability to be perceptually integrated, yet behaviourally segregated on different symptomatic dimensions.
AB - Objectives: Tinnitus subtypes are proposed to lie on a continuum of different symptom dimensions rather than be categorical. However, there is no comprehensive empirical data showing this complex relationship between different tinnitus symptoms. The objective of this study is to provide empirical evidence for the dimensional nature of tinnitus and how different auditory and non-auditory symptoms interact with each other through complex interactions. We do this using graph theory, a mathematical tool that empirically maps this complex interaction. This way, graph theory can be utilised to highlight a new and possibly important outlook on how we can understand the heterogeneous nature of tinnitus. Design: In the current study, we use the screening databases of the Treatment Evaluation of Neuromodulation for Tinnitus-Stage A1 (TENT-A1) and A2 (TENT-A2) randomised trials to delineate the dimensional relationship between different clinical measures of tinnitus as a secondary data analysis. We first calculate the empirical relationship by computing the partial correlation. Following this, we use different measures of centrality to describe the contribution of different clinical measures to the overall network. We also calculate the stability of the network and compare the similarity and differences between TENT-A1 and TENT-A2. Results: Components of the auditory subnetwork (loudness discomfort level, sound sensitivity, average hearing loss and high frequency hearing loss) are highly inter-connected in both networks with sound sensitivity and loudness discomfort level being highly influential with high measures of centrality. Furthermore, the relationship between the densely connected auditory subnetwork with tinnitus-related distress seems to vary at different levels of distress, hearing loss, duration and age of the participants. Conclusion: Our findings provide first-time evidence for tinnitus varying in a dimensional fashion illustrating the heterogeneity of this phantom percept and its ability to be perceptually integrated, yet behaviourally segregated on different symptomatic dimensions.
KW - Clinical signature
KW - Diagnosis
KW - Hearing loss
KW - Hyperacusis
KW - Tinnitus
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85182428955&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1007/s10162-023-00923-0
DO - 10.1007/s10162-023-00923-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 38238526
AN - SCOPUS:85182428955
SN - 1525-3961
VL - 25
SP - 215
EP - 227
JO - JARO - Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology
JF - JARO - Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology
IS - 2
ER -