Eavesdropping on Tinnitus Using MEG: Lessons Learned and Future Perspectives

Abstract

Tinnitus has been widely investigated in order to draw conclusions about the underlying causes and altered neural activity in various brain regions. Existing studies have based their work on different tinnitus frameworks, ranging from a more local perspective on the auditory cortex to the inclusion of broader networks and various approaches towards tinnitus perception and distress. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) provides a powerful tool for efficiently investigating tinnitus and aberrant neural activity both spatially and temporally. However, results are inconclusive, and studies are rarely mapped to theoretical frameworks. The purpose of this review was to firstly introduce MEG to interested researchers and secondly provide a synopsis of the current state. We divided recent tinnitus research in MEG into study designs using resting state measurements and studies implementing tone stimulation paradigms. The studies were categorized based on their theoretical foundation, and we outlined shortcomings as well as inconsistencies within the different approaches. Finally, we provided future perspectives on how to benefit more efficiently from the enormous potential of MEG. We suggested novel approaches from a theoretical, conceptual, and methodological point of view to allow future research to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of tinnitus and its underlying processes.

Aberrant Auditory Prediction Patterns Robustly Characterize Tinnitus

“…Despite strong efforts, neuroscientific tinnitus research in humans is in dire need of robust findings that would enable a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of this condition (Reisinger et al, 2023). Large numbers of studies, especially using EEG or MEG, have focused on spectral characteristics of resting state activity.…”

“…However, apart from a significant shortage of data bridging animal and human research in these different frameworks, empirical support in humans is weak, difficult to replicate, and marked by strong interindividual variability (Eggermont and Roberts, 2015;Elgohyen et al, 2015, Reisinger et al, 2023. Beyond the lack of solid evidence, the models face further explanatory challenges (Sedley, 2019): 1) People with hearing loss do not necessarily experience tinnitus (Wallhäusser-Franke et al, 2017).…”