Tinnitus refers to sound perception in the absence of external sound stimulus. It has become a worldwide problem affecting all age groups especially the elderly. Tinnitus often accompanies hearing loss and some mood disorders like depression and anxiety. The comprehensive adverse effects of tinnitus on people determine the severity of tinnitus. Understanding the mechanisms of tinnitus and related discomfort may be beneficial to the prevention and treatment, and then getting patients out of tinnitus distress. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a powerful technique for characterizing the intrinsic brain activity and making us better understand the tinnitus neural mechanism. In this article, we review fMRI studies published in recent years on the neuroimaging mechanisms of tinnitus. The results have revealed various neural network alterations in tinnitus patients, including the auditory system, limbic system, default mode network, attention system, and some other areas involved in memory, emotion, attention, and control. Moreover, changes in functional connectivity and neural activity in these networks are related to the perception, persistence, and severity of tinnitus. In summary, the neural mechanism of tinnitus is a complex regulatory mechanism involving multiple networks. Future research is needed to study these neural networks more accurately to refine the tinnitus models.
Repetitive intracutaneous injections with local anesthetics and steroids along with standard treatment significantly reduce the duration of pain and herpetic eruption and incidence of PHN.
Intracutaneous sterile water injection (ISWI) is used for relief of low back pain
during labor, acute attacks of urolithiasis, chronic neck and shoulder pain following
whiplash injuries, and chronic myofascial pain syndrome. We conducted a randomized,
double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the effect of ISWI for relief of
acute low back pain (aLBP). A total of 68 patients (41 females and 27 males) between
18 and 55 years old experiencing aLBP with moderate to severe pain (scores ≥5 on an
11-point visual analogue scale [VAS]) were recruited and randomly assigned to receive
either ISWIs (n=34) or intracutaneous isotonic saline injections (placebo treatment;
n=34). The primary outcome was improvement in pain intensity using the VAS at 10, 45,
and 90 min and 1 day after treatment. The secondary outcome was functional
improvement, which was assessed using the Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) 1
day after treatment. The mean VAS score was significantly lower in the ISWI group
than in the control group at 10, 45, and 90 min, and 1 day after injection
(P<0.05, t-test). The mean increment in PSFS score of the ISWI
group was 2.9±2.2 1 day after treatment, while that in the control group was 0.9±2.2.
Our study showed that ISWI was effective for relieving pain and improving function in
aLBP patients at short-term follow-up. ISWI might be an alternative treatment for
aLBP patients, especially in areas where medications are not available, as well as in
specific patients (e.g., those who are pregnant or have asthma), who are unable to
receive medications or other forms of analgesia because of side effects.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.