An integrative model of developing tinnitus – neurobiological tinnitus model

An integrative model of (subjective) tinnitus is presented, based on the most recent neurophysiological data in current discussion. We assume the involvement of altered brain functions in the development and maintenance of perceptions of tinnitus and outline various possibilities which could contribute to decompensation and chronic progression. Results to date suggest cortical plasticity as a likely mechanism to be involved in the chronic progression of tinnitus. In this sense, tonotopical maps in the auditory cortex are altered due either to a lack of afferent connections or to defective auditory perceptions re…