Tinnitus and Its Effect on Working Memory and Attention

Abstract

Tinnitus and Its Effect on Working Memory and AttentionPurpose: In 2 experiments, the assumption that continual orienting to tinnitus uses cognitive resources was investigated. It was hypothesized that differences in performance of tinnitus and control groups would manifest during demanding or unfamiliar tasks that required strategic, controlled processing and that reduced performance was not related solely to levels of anxiety. Method: Nineteen participants with chronic, moderate tinnitus-matched with a control group for age, education, and verbal IQ-completed auditory verbal working-memory and visual divided-attention tasks, with task order counterbalanced across participants. Results: As hypothesized, reading span of the tinnitus group was significantly shorter than that of the control group (Task 1). In Task 2, the tinnitus group recorded slower reaction times and poorer accuracy in the most demanding dual task context. Covariate analyses revealed that differences in task performance were not attributable to anxiety scale scores. Conclusions: Complaints of the distracting effects of tinnitus have a basis in performance test outcomes. Future research should investigate effects of severe tinnitus and possible effects of hearing loss. At the level of theory development, results from this study suggest that tinnitus affects cognition to the extent that it reduces cognitive capacity needed to perform tasks that require voluntary, conscious, effortful, and strategic control.KEY WORDS: tinnitus, working memory, divided attention, anxiety, controlled processes, automatic processes T innitus, the perception of sound in the absence of corresponding auditory stimulation, is a widespread phenomenon. Estimates of the incidence of tinnitus in the general population vary widely. Epidemiological studies, in which an attempt is made to include every member of the designated population in the sample, are unique in that they can provide accurate estimates of the prevalence of tinnitus, free from the biasing effects of drawing samples from clinical populations or calling for volunteers. A recent epidemiological survey conducted on the aged population (55 years and over) of a township west of Sydney, Australia, revealed that 30% of this group had experienced at least one episode of tinnitus in the year preceding the interview. This study was composed of 26% of participants with normal threshold acuity and 35% of participants with a hearing loss (Sindhusake et al., 2003). Sindhusake et al. reviewed six recent population-based studies of tinnitus prevalence in the general population and arrived at a range of 13% to 18%.Chronic tinnitus can be accompanied by depression (Folmer, Griest, & Martin, 2001;Holgers, Erlandsson, & Barrenas, 2000), anxiety (G. Andersson & Vretblad, 2000;Folmer et al., 2001), insomnia (Folmer et al., 2001), problems with auditory perception (Hallam, Jakes, & Hinchcliffe, 1988;Tyler & Baker, 1983), and poor general and mental health. In extreme cases, intractable tinnitus may lead to suicide (Johnston & Walke...

Alterations in Event Related Potentials (ERP) Associated with Tinnitus Distress and Attention

“…They interpreted this result in such a way that the deviant stimulus to the contra lateral ear was less effective in distracting the attention from the task performed in tinnitus patients. The deficits shown in the study by Rossiter et al (2006), who observed differences between tinnitus and control groups with regard to tasks requiring strategic controlled processing, could also be explained by the amount of attention paid to the tinnitus. In the paper by Stevens et al (2007), tinnitus affected the performance in an attention demanding task as well.…”

Association of Chronic Subjective Tinnitus with Neuro-Cognitive Performance

“…The performance of the tinnitus patients on memory test (PGIMS) was affected on subtests: mental balance (72% patients), attention & concentration (52%), immediate recall (68%), remote memory (44%), retention of dissimilar pairs (44%) and visual recognition of pictures (40%). The performance might be altered due to deviated attention 43,44 for auditory 15,39 and nonauditory sensory processing 45 , poor working memory 46 , word recall, plan execution 47 , remote memory or/and autobiographical memory 48 . It can be hypothesized that in tinnitus patients due the reduction of gray matter in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex that participates in auditory gating 20 there is disruption in the processing of information and working memory system 46 , the attention is focused to tinnitus 43 leading to cognitive inefficiency 15 .…”

A trauma-focused approach for patients with tinnitus: the effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing – a multicentre pilot trial

“…The severity of the distress experienced from the tinnitus is determined not by the acoustic characteristics, such as pitch and loudness of tinnitus (Andersson, 2003; Henry & Meikle, 2000; Hiller & Goebel, 2007), but by the cognitive, emotional and behavioural reactions to it (Andersson, 2002; Andersson & Westin, 2008; Cima, Crombez, & Vlaeyen, 2011; McKenna, Handscomb, Hoare, & Hall, 2014). Many tinnitus patients suffer from insomnia (Cronlein et al, 2016), concentration difficulties (Hallam, McKenna, & Shurlock, 2004; Rossiter, Stevens, & Walker, 2006) or headaches (Langguth et al, 2015). Comorbid mental symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress are common (Fagelson, 2007; Hinton, Chhean, Pich, Hofmann, & Barlow, 2006; McCormack et al, 2015; Pattyn et al, 2016; Zoger, Svedlund, & Holgers, 2006).…”