An Integrative Tinnitus Model Based on Sensory Precision

Abstract

Tinnitus is a common disorder that often complicates hearing loss. Its mechanisms are incompletely understood. Current theories proposing pathophysiology from the ear to the cortex cannot individually – or collectively – explain the range of experimental evidence available. We propose a new framework, based on predictive coding, in which spontaneous activity in the subcortical auditory pathway constitutes a ‘tinnitus precursor’ which is normally ignored as imprecise evidence against the prevailing percept of ‘silence’. Extant models feature as contributory mechanisms acting to increase either the intensity of the precursor or its precision. If precision (i.e., postsynaptic gain) rises sufficiently then tinnitus is perceived. Perpetuation arises through focused attention, which further increases the precision of the precursor, and resetting of the default prediction to expect tinnitus.

Resting-State Brain Abnormalities in Chronic Subjective Tinnitus: A Meta-Analysis

“…A number of existing neurophysiological mechanisms and models have been proposed to account for the pathophysiology of tinnitus patients, such as central gain (Schaette and McAlpine, 2011), neural synchrony (Seki and Eggermont, 2003), frontostriatal gating (Rauschecker et al, 2015), thalamocortical dysrhythmia (Llinás et al, 1999), noise-canceling deficit (Rauschecker et al, 2010; Leaver et al, 2011), global workspace (De Ridder et al, 2014b), and precision/predictive coding models (Sedley et al, 2016). However, there is a lack of consensus as to which neural mechanism(s) and what regions of the central nervous system are common to the diverse population of tinnitus patients participating in the imaging studies.…”

Visual Snow Syndrome and Its Relationship to Tinnitus

“…The predictive-coding model, which is a Bayesian-prediction model of sensory processing, suggests a common underlying mechanism between tinnitus and other positive perceptual disorders 5 . In addition, Zambrowski et al suggest that visual snow syndrome may result from "cerebral hypersensitivity" to physiological phenomena 6 .…”

Investigating functional changes in the brain to intermittently induced auditory illusions and its relevance to chronic tinnitus

“…The relative reduction in information creates a prediction error that is suppressed by the auditory illusion of the missing frequencies. Per this theory, the hyperactivity in auditory regions reflects increased prediction errors in the brain (Hullfish, Sedley, & Vanneste, ; Sedley et al, ; Sedley, Friston, et al, ). Additionally, increased theta activity in the parahippocampus is proposed to reflect pulling out the missing frequencies from memory as a compensation to minimize the increased prediction error (De Ridder, Elgoyhen, Romo, & Langguth, ; De Ridder, Vanneste, & Freeman, ; Munoz‐Lopez et al, ).…”

“…The relative reduction in information creates a prediction error that is suppressed by the auditory illusion of the missing frequencies. Per this theory, the hyperactivity in auditory regions reflects increased prediction errors in the brain (Hullfish, Sedley, & Vanneste, 2019;Sedley, Friston, et al, 2016).…”

“…A complementary theory supporting the hyperactivity in response to the virtual deafferentation (noise notch) and the generation of the ZT illusion is the Bayesian brain model (De Ridder, Vanneste, & Freeman, 2014;Hullfish, Sedley, & Vanneste, 2019;Sedley, Friston, Gander, Kumar, & Griffiths, 2016;Vilares & Kording, 2011). The idea, in brief, is that the brain is exposed to various stimuli that it uses to create a predictive internal model of the environment (Friston, 2005).…”