Hearing loss is a common sensory deficit in human beings. Besides communication handicaps, hearing loss may associate with niggling tinnitus symptoms. Tinnitus is the awareness of sound or noise in the absence of acoustic stimulation. Tinnitus may cause bothersome problems in cognition, mood, or psychosocial behaviour and constitute a significant portion in the outpatient clinics of ENT practice. No definite therapeutic strategy of tinnitus has been developed yet. The current theory of tinnitus is the plasticity theory of neurophysiology model. According to this theory, several neuromodulation methods have been proposed such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) or vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). Although acupuncture has its role in tinnitus treatment, its actual role still remains to be elucidated. Acupuncture has been proposed to induce the development of neuroplasticity. There are still few thorough researches to investigate the neurophysiological events after acupuncture. The aim of this project is to undergo a comprehensive investigation to the central auditory effect and the therapeutic effects of acupuncture in tinnitus. According the results of the preliminary studies, the objective auditory measurement and subjective tinn itus perception will be analyzed in tinnitus patients before and after acupuncture. The ultimate results of this project will clarify the basic central auditory effects of acupuncture and provide a potential for translational application of acupuncture to treat the common tinnitus patients.
Tinnitus is the awareness of sound or noise in the absence of acoustic stimulation. No definite therapeutic strategy of tinnitus has been developed yet. The current theory of tinnitus is the plasticity theory of neurophysiology model. Although acupuncture has its role in tinnitus treatment, its actual role still remains to be elucidated. Acupuncture has been proposed to induce the development of neuroplasticity. The aim of this project is to undergo a comprehensive investigation to the central auditory effect and the therapeutic effects of acupuncture in tinnitus. According the results of the preliminary studies, the objective auditory measurement and subjective tinnitus perception will be analyzed in tinnitus patients before and after acupuncture.