Abnormal Functional Connectivity Within Default Mode Network and Salience Network Related to Tinnitus Severity.
Binbin Xiong, Zhao Liu, Jiahong Li, Xiayin Huang, Jing Yang, Wenqiang Xu, Yu-Chen Chen, Yuexin Cai, Yiqing Zheng
Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology : JARO July 12, 2023 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-023-00905-2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational case-control study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 84 |
| Population | 57 patients with chronic tinnitus (divided into moderate-to-severe and slight-to-mild groups by THI scores) and 27 healthy controls |
| Measures | Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Gyrus cinguli Humans Tinnitus Magnetic resonance imaging Brain mapping Electroencephalogram Severity Functional connectivity Central nervous characteristics |
| Key findings | All tinnitus patients showed activation in the auditory cortex (middle temporal lobe, BA 21) compared with controls. Moderate-to-severe tinnitus patients showed enhanced connectivity between the parahippocampus and posterior cingulate gyrus, and between the auditory cortex and insula, relative to slight-to-mild patients. Insula connections with the parahippocampal and posterior cingulate regions correlated positively with THI scores, which the authors interpret as involvement of the auditory, salience, and default mode networks, with the insula as a core hub. |
Abstract
Background: Previous studies have demonstrated that tinnitus is associated with neural changes in the cerebral cortex. This study is aimed at investigating the central nervous characteristics of tinnitus patients with different severity by using a rs-EEG. Participants and
Methods: rs-EEG was recorded in fifty-seven patients with chronic tinnitus and twenty-seven healthy controls. Tinnitus patients were divided into moderate-to-severe tinnitus group and slight-to-mild tinnitus group based on their Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) scores. Source localization and functional connectivity analyses were used to measure the changes in central levels and examine the altered network patterns. The correlation between functional connectivity and tinnitus severity was analyzed.
Result: Compared to the healthy controls, all tinnitus patients showed significant activation in the auditory cortex (middle temporal lobe, BA 21), while moderate-to-severe tinnitus group showed enhanced connectivity between the parahippocampus and posterior cingulate gyrus. Moreover, the moderate-to-severe tinnitus group had enhanced functional connectivity between auditory cortex and insula compared to the slight-to-mild tinnitus group. The connections between the insula and the parahippocampal and posterior cingulate gyrus were positively correlated with THI scores.
Conclusion: The current study reveals that patients with moderate-to-severe tinnitus demonstrate greater changes in the central brain areas, including the auditory cortex, insula, parahippocampus and posterior cingulate gyrus. In addition, enhanced connections were found between the insula and the auditory cortex, as well as the posterior cingulate gyrus and the parahippocampus, which suggests abnormality in the auditory network, salience network, and default mode network. Specifically, the insula is the core region of the neural pathway that is composed of the auditory cortex, insula, and parahippocampus/posterior cingulate gyrus. This suggests that the severity of tinnitus is affected by multiple brain regions.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A default mode of brain function Normal adult human brain | 2001 | Observational study | |
| Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational cohort | |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| The precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex plays a pivotal role in the default mode network: Evidence from a partial correlation network analysis Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study |
Citations in the library
Cites 3
- The salience network causally influences default mode network activity during moral reasoning Brain April 9, 2013
- sLORETA intracortical lagged coherence during breath counting in meditation-naïve participants Frontiers in Human Neuroscience December 27, 2013
- Functional connectivity in the resting brain: A network analysis of the default mode hypothesis Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences December 27, 2002