Functional Brain Changes During Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Associated With Tinnitus Severity

In twelve people with chronic tinnitus, an 8-week mindfulness-based cognitive therapy intervention was linked to changes in resting-state brain connectivity, though no changes were seen in task-based brain responses to emotional sounds. Resting-state functional connectivity decreased between the default mode network, cingulo-opercular network, and amygdala over the intervention, while connectivity involving the dorsal attention and fronto-parietal networks did not change. Only resting-state connectivity between the amygdala, dorsal attention network, and fronto-parietal network significantly predicted tinnitus severity as measured by the Tinnitus Functional Index. Decreased amygdala-parietal connectivity and its negative correlation with tinnitus severity suggest a possible brain marker of successful treatment.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Mindfulness-based therapies have been introduced as a treatment option to reduce the psychological severity of tinnitus, a currently incurable chronic condition. This pilot study of twelve subjects with chronic tinnitus investigates the relationship between measures of both task-based and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and measures of tinnitus severity, assessed with the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI). MRI was measured at three time points: before, after, and at follow-up of an 8-week long mindfulness-based cognitive therapy intervention. During the task-based fMRI with affective sounds, no significant changes were observed between sessions, nor was the activation to emotionally salient compared to neutral stimuli significantly predictive of TFI. Significant results were found using resting state fMRI. There were significant decreases in functional connectivity among the default mode network, cingulo-opercular network, and amygdala across the intervention, but no differences were seen in connectivity with seeds in the dorsal attention network (DAN) or fronto-parietal network and the rest of the brain. Further, only resting state connectivity between the brain and the amygdala, DAN, and fronto-parietal network significantly predicted TFI. These results point to a mostly differentiated landscape of functional brain measures related to tinnitus severity on one hand and mindfulness-based therapy on the other. However, overlapping results of decreased amygdala connectivity with parietal areas and the negative correlation between amygdala-parietal connectivity and TFI is suggestive of a brain imaging marker of successful treatment.