Investigation of the Effect of Tinnitus and Hearing Loss on Hippocampus Volume

Hadi Sasani; Mazhar Ozkan; Tolga Ersozlu

doi:10.58600/eurjther1925

Authors

Hadi Sasani Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Tekirdag Namik Kemal University, Tekirdag, Türkiye https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6236-4123
Mazhar Ozkan Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Tekirdag Namik Kemal University, Tekirdag, Türkiye https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8745-2493
Tolga Ersozlu Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Tekirdag Namik Kemal University, Tekirdag, Türkiye https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8629-6022

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58600/eurjther1925

Keywords:

hearing loss, hippocampus, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Tinnitus, Volume

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to compare hippocampal changes with a correlation of audiological testing results in patients suffering from tinnitus.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with tinnitus in the university hospital between February 2021 and March 2022 were prospectively included in the study by performing magnetic resonance imaging. The volume was determined by manually tracing the hippocampus' margins on the images using the Vitrea2® workstation (Canon Medical Systems Vital Images, Minnesota, USA). Statistics were used to assess the correlation between the parameters of the hearing test.

Results: The distribution of the patient group (21 males, 19 females) and control group (15 males, 15 females) was uniform, and the mean ages of the two groups were 50.23±12.09 and 32.30±7.97, respectively. Significant statistical differences existed in the mean ages of the groups (p<0.05). Bilateral hippocampal volumes, right bone, and air conduction all differed significantly (p<0.05). The median values in the patient group were as follows: right HC 2620 mm3 (range 1600-3610), left HC 2450 mm3 (range 1610-3990), right air conduction 20 dB (range 10-61), left air 21 dB (range 11-65), and right bone 13.5 dB (range 8-49). Age was positively correlated with bilateral measurements of air and bone hearing levels (p 0.05; right air r=0.513, right bone r=0.438, left air r=0.589, left bone r=0.487). Between the 30-39 and 60-69 age groups, there was a significant difference in bone and air conduction levels (p<0.05).

Conclusion: In this study, it was found that the hippocampus volumes of healthy hearing people with tinnitus complaints were significantly higher in MRI examinations compared to the control group. In addition, in cases of tinnitus accompanied by bone conduction hearing loss, hippocampus volumes were found to be less than those of tinnitus alone, but not less than in the control group. It is suggested that chronic acoustic stimulation caused by tinnitus causes an increase in hippocampus volume and that problems in sensorineural integrity prevent this increase.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Baguley D, McFerran D, Hall D (2013) Tinnitus. Lancet. 382(9904):1600-1607. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60142-7

Bhatt JM, Lin HW, Bhattacharyya N (2016) Tinnitus Epidemiology: Prevalence, Severity, Exposures and Treatment Patterns In The United States. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 142(10):959-965. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoto.2016.1700

Jarach CM, Lugo A, Scala M, van den Brandt PA, Cederroth CR, Odone A, et al (2022) Global prevalence and incidence of tinnitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Neurol. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.2189

Salvi R, Langguth B, Kraus S, Landgrebe M, Allman B, Ding D, et al (2011) Tinnitus and Hearing Loss and Changes in Hippocampus. Semin Hear. 32(2):203-211. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0031-1277243

Sereda M, Hall DA, Bosnyak DJ, Edmondson-Jones M, Roberts LE, Adjamian P, et al (2011) Re-examining the relationship between audiometric profile and tinnitus pitch. Int J Audiol. 50(5):303-312. https://doi.org/10.3109/14992027.2010.551221

Landgrebe M, Langguth B, Rosengarth K, Braun S, Koch A, Kleinjung T, et al (2009) Structural brain changes in tinnitus: grey matter decrease in auditory and non-auditory brain areas. Neuroimage. 46(1):213-218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.01.069

Tae WS, Yakunina N, Lee WH, Ryu YJ, Ham HK, Pyun SB, et al (2018) Changes in the regional shape and volume of subcortical nuclei in patients with tinnitus comorbid with mild hearing loss. Neuroradiology. 60(11):1203-1211. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-018-2093-2

Chen YC, Wang F, Wang J, Bo F, Xia W, Gu JP, et al (2017) Resting-State Brain Abnormalities in Chronic Subjective Tinnitus: A Meta-Analysis. Front Hum Neurosci. 11:22. https://doi.org/:10.3389/fnhum.2017.00022

Leaver AM, Seydell-Greenwald A, Rauschecker JP (2016) Auditory-limbic interactions in chronic tinnitus: Challenges for neuroimaging research. Hear Res. 334:49-57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heares.2015.08.005

Chen YC, Xia W, Chen H, Feng Y, Xu JJ, Gu JP, et al (2017) Tinnitus distress is linked to enhanced resting‐state functional connectivity from the limbic system to the auditory cortex. Hum Brain Mapp. 38(5):2384-2397. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.23525

Hofmeier B, Wolpert S, Aldamer ES, Walter M, Thiericke J, Braun C, et al (2018) Reduced sound-evoked and resting-state BOLD fMRI connectivity in tinnitus. Neuroimage Clin. 20:637-649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2018.08.029

Eichenbaum H, Cohen NJ (2004) From conditioning to conscious recollection: Memory systems of the brain. Oxford Psychology Series (Online Ed). https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195178043.001.0001

Teki S, Kumar S, von Kriegstein K, Stewart L, Lyness CR, Moore BC, et al (2012) Navigating the auditory scene: an expert role for the hippocampus. J Neurosci. 32(35):12251-12257. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.0082-12.2012

Jacobs J, Kahana MJ, Ekstrom AD, Fried I (2007) Brain oscillations control timing of single-neuron activity in humans. J Neurosci. 27(14):3839-3844. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4636-06.2007

Moser E, Moser MB, Andersen P (1993) Spatial learning impairment parallels the magnitude of dorsal hippocampal lesions, but is hardly present following ventral lesions. J Neurosci. 13(9):3916-3925. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.07.084

Bartsch T, Wulff P (2015) The hippocampus in aging and disease: from plasticity to vulnerability. J Neurosci. 309:1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.07.084

Mueller SG, Weiner MW (2009) Selective effect of age, Apo E4, and Alzheimer’s disease on hippocampal subfields. Hippocampus. 19(6):558-564. https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.20614

McHugh TL, Saykin AJ, Wishart HA, Flashman LA, Cleavinger HB, Rabin LA, et al (2007) Hippocampal volume and shape analysis in an older adult population. Clin Neuropsychol. 21(1):130-145. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854040601064534

ASHA. Degree of Hearing Loss (2023) https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Degree-of-Hearing-Loss/

Schlee W, Schoisswohl S, Staudinger S, Schiller A, Lehner A, Langguth B, et al (2021) Towards a unification of treatments and interventions for tinnitus patients: The EU research and innovation action UNITI. Prog Brain Res. 260:441-451. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pbr.2020.12.005.

Hoekstra CE, Wesdorp FM, van Zanten GA (2014) Socio-demographic, health, and tinnitus related variables affecting tinnitus severity. Ear Hear. 35(5):544-554. https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000000045

Maes IHL, Cima RFF, Vlaeyen JW, Anteunis LJC, Joore MA (2013) Tinnitus: A Cost Study. Ear Hear. 34(4):508-514. https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0b013e31827d113a

Eggermont JJ, Roberts LE (2004) The neuroscience of tinnitus. Trends Neurosci. 27:676-682. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2004.08.010

Turner JS JR (1990). The Ear and Auditory System. In: Walker HK, Hall WD, Hurst JW, editors. Clinical Methods: The History, Physical, and Laboratory Examinations. 3rd edition. Boston: Butterworths; 1990. Chapter 126. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK231/

Billig AJ, Lad M, Sedley W, Griffiths TD (2022) The hearing hippocampus. Prog Neurobiol. 218:102326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pneurobio.2022.102326

Knierim JJ (2015) The hippocampus. Curr Biol. 25(23):R1116-R1121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.10.049

Zhang L, Wu C, Martel DT, West M, Sutton MA, Shore SE (2019) Remodeling of cholinergic input to the hippocampus after noise exposure and tinnitus induction in Guinea pigs. Hippocampus. 29(8):669-682. https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.23058

Griffiths TD, Lad M, Kumar S, Holmes E, McMurray B, Maguire EA, et al (2020) How can hearing loss cause dementia? Neuron. 108(3):401-412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2020.08.003

Boyen K, Langers DR, de Kleine E, van Dijk P (2013) Gray matter in the brain: differences associated with tinnitus and hearing loss. Hear Res. 295:67-78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heares.2012.02.010

Ueyama T, Donishi T, Ukai S, Ikeda Y, Hotomi M, Yamanaka N, et al (2013) Brain regions responsible for tinnitus distress and loudness: a resting-state FMRI study. PloS One. 8(6):e67778. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0067778

Lan L, Chen YC, Shang S, Lu L, Xu JJ, Yin X, et al (2022) Topological features of limbic dysfunction in chronicity of tinnitus with intact hearing: New hypothesis for ‘noise-cancellation’mechanism. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 113:110459. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110459

Profant O, Škoch A, Tintěra J, Svobodová V, Kuchárová D, Svobodová Burianová J, et al (2020) The Influence of Aging, Hearing, and Tinnitus on the Morphology of Cortical Gray Matter, Amygdala, and Hippocampus. Front Aging Neurosci. 12:553461. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2020.553461

Zhang L, Wang J, Sun H, Feng G, Gao Z (2022) Interactions between the hippocampus and the auditory pathway. Neurobiol Learn Mem. 189:107589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107589

Fjell AM, McEvoy L, Holland D, Dale AM, Walhovd KB, Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (2014) What is normal in normal aging? Effects of aging, amyloid and Alzheimer’s disease on the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus. Prog Neurobiol. 117:20-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pneurobio.2014.02.004

Lin FR, Ferrucci L, Metter EJ, An Y, Zonderman AB, Resnick SM (2011) Hearing loss and cognition in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Neuropsychology. 25(6):763-770. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024238

Yoo HB, de Ridder D, Vanneste S (2016) The Importance of Aging in Gray Matter Changes Within Tinnitus Patients Shown in Cortical Thickness, Surface Area and Volume. Brain Topogr. 29(6):885-896. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10548-016-0511-5