Baseline Functional Connectivity Features of Neural Network Nodes Can Predict Improvement After Sound Therapy Through Adjusted Narrow Band Noise in Tinnitus Patients

Abstract

Previous resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have shown neural connectivity alterations after the treatment of tinnitus. We aim to study the value of the baseline functional connectivity features of neural network nodes to predict outcomes of sound therapy through adjusted narrow band noise. The fMRI data of 27 untreated tinnitus patients and 27 matched healthy controls were analyzed. We calculated the graph-theoretical metric degree centrality (DC) to characterize the functional connectivity of the neural network nodes. Therapeutic outcomes are determined by the changes in the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) score after a 12-week intervention. The connectivity of 10 brain nodes in tinnitus patients was significantly increased at baseline. The functional connectivity of right insula, inferior parietal lobule (IPL), bilateral thalami, and left middle temporal gyrus was significantly modified with the sound therapy, and such changes correlated with THI changes in tinnitus patients. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses revealed that the measurements from the five brain regions were effective at classifying improvement after therapy. After age, gender, and education correction, the adjusted area under the curve (AUC) values for the bilateral thalami were the highest (left, 0.745; right, 0.708). Our study further supported the involvement of the fronto-parietal-cingulate network in tinnitus and found that the connectivity of the thalamus at baseline is an object neuroimaging-based indicator to predict clinical outcome of sound therapy through adjusted narrow band noise.

Corticostriatal functional connectivity of bothersome tinnitus in single-sided deafness

“…For biomarker validation, auditory perceptual training may be adapted for clinical deployment to mitigate tinnitus 47 . Treatment response may be expressed as change in pre-treatment functional connectivity between the striatum and other brain regions, consistent with observations in the insula and anterior cingulate cortices 42,48 . For biomarker targeted brain-based neuromodulation, innovative treatments to disrupt increased corticostriatal functional connectivity 49,50 may be considered.…”

Neuroanatomical Alterations in Patients With Tinnitus Before and After Sound Therapy: A Voxel-Based Morphometry Study

“…Narrow band noise sound therapy is a commonly used treatment for tinnitus ( Henry et al, 2002 ). Previous studies have demonstrated functional changes in the brain ( Han et al, 2019a , b ). However, we only found a few related reports on the morphological changes before and after sound therapy with an average treatment time of 1 week ( Krick et al, 2015 , 2017 ).…”

Neuroanatomical Alterations in Patients With Tinnitus Before and After Sound Therapy: A Combined VBM and SCN Study

“…In recent years, narrow band noise sound therapy has been one of the commonly used methods for the treatment of tinnitus (38). Our previous studies have demonstrated functional changes in the brain with this sound therapy (8,39). However, we only found a few related reports on the morphological changes before and after sound therapy (37,40).…”

“…Chronic tinnitus can cause a series of problems, such as sleep disturbances (4), cognitive problems, depression (5), and work disorders (6). Previous studies have shown that tinnitus can cause signi cant changes in brain function and structure, which are closely related to the clinical manifestations of patients (7,8). In addition, studies have shown that the brain structure and function of tinnitus patients have undergone signi cant remodeling (9,10).…”