TY  - JOUR
AU  - Hu, Suyi
AU  - Anschuetz, Lukas
AU  - Huth, Markus E
AU  - Sznitman, Raphael
AU  - Blaser, Daniela
AU  - Kompis, Martin
AU  - Hall, Deborah A
AU  - Caversaccio, Marco
AU  - Wimmer, Wilhelm
PY  - 2019
DA  - 2019/01/09
TI  - Association Between Residual Inhibition and Neural Activity in Patients with Tinnitus: Protocol for a Controlled Within- and Between-Subject Comparison Study
JO  - JMIR Res Protoc
SP  - e12270
VL  - 8
IS  - 1
KW  - electroencephalography
KW  - heterogeneity
KW  - high-frequency audiometry
KW  - neural activity
KW  - tinnitus
KW  - tinnitometry
AB  - Background: Electroencephalography (EEG) studies indicate possible associations between tinnitus and changes in the neural activity. However, inconsistent results require further investigation to better understand such heterogeneity and inform the interpretation of previous findings. Objective: This study aims to investigate the feasibility of EEG measurements as an objective indicator for the identification of tinnitus-associated neural activities. Methods: To reduce heterogeneity, participants served as their own control using residual inhibition (RI) to modulate the tinnitus perception in a within-subject EEG study design with a tinnitus group. In addition, comparison with a nontinnitus control group allowed for a between-subjects comparison. We will apply RI stimulation to generate tinnitus and nontinnitus conditions in the same subject. Furthermore, high-frequency audiometry (up to 13 kHz) and tinnitometry will be performed. Results: This work was funded by the Infrastructure Grant of the University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland and Bernafon AG, Bern, Switzerland. Enrollment for the study described in this protocol commenced in February 2018. Data analysis is currently under way and the first results are expected to be submitted for publication in 2019. Conclusions: This study design helps in comparing the neural activity between conditions in the same individual, thereby addressing a notable limitation of previous EEG tinnitus studies. In addition, the high-frequency assessment will help to analyze and classify tinnitus symptoms beyond the conventional clinical standard. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): RR1-10.2196/12270 
SN  - 1929-0748
UR  - http://www.researchprotocols.org/2019/1/e12270/
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/12270
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30626571
DO  - 10.2196/12270
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/12270
ER  -