Tinnitus and Hearing Loss are a major research focus of the Center for Positron Emission Tomography and the Center for Hearing and Deafness. This work is the collaborative effort of a number of investigators, including:

Robert Burkard, Ph.D., Alan H. Lockwood, M.D., Richard J. Salvi, Ph.D.

We have conducted a series of PET studies of patients with tinnitus associated with sensorineural hearing loss. Three separate groups of subjects have been studied: patients with tinnitus-loudness affected by a jaw clench, patients with gaze-evoked tinnitus (following removal of vestibular schwanoma or acoustic neuroma), and tinnitus affected by lidocaine.

Our working hypothesis is that tinnitus is due to aberrant connections formed in the central auditory system. These aberrant connections are due to plastic changes induced by deafferentation, i.e., hearing loss. We believe that tinnitus is the auditory system analog of phantom limb sensation or pain that is often experienced after an amputation or injury to a peripheral nerve.

We are seeking research subjects who are otherwise in excellent health taking no medications that affect the brain and who:

1. Have tinnitus

2. Have hearing loss without tinnitus

3. Have normal hearing.

If you would like to inquire about participation in our research studies, please e-mail us or phone (716) 862-8871.

These studies are supported by a 5 year grant from the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders.

Major Reports

1. The Functional Neuroanatomy of Tinnitus : Limbic System Links and Evidence for Cerebral Plasticity

2. The Functional Anatomy of the Normal Human Auditory System : Responses to 0.5 and 4.0 Kilohertz Tones at Varied Intensities.

3. Pinchoff, R.J., Burkard, RF, Salvi, RJ, Coad, ML, Lockwood, AH. Modulation of Tinnitus by Voluntary Jaw Movements . Am. J. Otol. 1998;19:785-789 (850 kbyte pdf file)

4. The Functional Anatomy of Gaze-Evoked Tinnitus and Sustained Lateral Gaze Neurology 2001:56:472-480. (2.9 Mbytes, pdf file format).

Abstracts

1. A.H. Lockwood, R.F. Burkard, R.J. Salvi, S.A. Arnold, S.A. Reyes, M.L. Coad, N.S. Lincoff, P.J. Galantowicz, D.S. Wack, Positron emission tomographic (PET) studies of gaze-evoked tinnitus. 1999 Midwinter Meeting, Association for Research in Otolaryngology, Feb. 14-18, 1999. ( HTTP://www.aro.org/archives/1999/472.html ).

2. Lockwood AH, Berlin CI, Hood LJ, Burkard RF, Salvi RJ. PET studies of auditory pathways in patients with auditory neuropathy . 124th Annual Meeting, American Neurological Association, October 10-13, 1999 - Ann Neurol 1999;46:460.

3. Reyes, S., Lockwood A., Salvi, R., Burkard, R., Coad, M.L., Wack, D., Galantowicz, P. Expansion of auditory pathways due to unilateral deafness. 2000 Midwinter Meeting, Association for Research in Otolaryngology, Feb. 20-24, 2000. Abstract 528, page 152.