What is the purpose of the research?~The proposed research is to identify the brain areas activated or deactivated by tinnitus in humans.~The identification of these areas is expected to be able to treat tinnitus refractory to traditional therapies by methods of brain stimulation.~Furthermore, this technique would be very useful to verify the effectiveness of any treatment to relieve tinnitus.~What is the methodology?~This is a diagnosis based on functional brain imaging with MRI (fMRI).~The study will be conducted in 30 subjects with unilateral tinnitus, stable lesion of origin and can be inhibited by masking sound.~The brain activation measured during fMRI will be performed in a position of rest, after inhibition of tinnitus, and after application of a sound that does not inhibit tinnitus.~This comparison will identify specific brain areas activated or deactivated by tinnitus.~What are the expected benefits?~Direct individual benefit could possibly be met by participants in this study. Indeed, the determination of a masking noise can afford to set up a masking system to reduce the tinnitus if the patient wishes.~Moreover, in case of identification of brain areas activated or inactivated by tinnitus in a subject, it may propose to carry out a transcranial magnetic brain stimulation of the area in an attempt to relieve the tinnitus, according to the stimulation protocols to date for tinnitus.~This will achieved a personalized approach to treating tinnitus.~Besides the expected individual benefit, other expected benefits are collective order, given the highly variable success rates, but generally limited treatments against tinnitus.
The proposed research is to identify the brain areas activated or deactivated by tinnitus in humans. The identification of these areas is expected to be able to treat tinnitus refractory to traditional therapies by methods of brain stimulation. Furthermore, this technique would be very useful to verify the effectiveness of any treatment to relieve tinnitus.~The brain activation measured during fMRI will be performed in a position of rest, after inhibition of tinnitus, and after application of a sound that does not inhibit tinnitus. This comparison will identify specific brain areas activated or deactivated by tinnitus.