Brain Mechanisms in Tinnitus, Hearing Loss, and Hyperacusis: Differences and Similarities
Tinnitus, hyperacusis, and hearing loss are, in a way, interconnected or related—like in cases of recruitment, where all three conditions are present. This is what Beethoven, for example, is believed to have suffered. All three conditions can be caused by the death or damage of certain hair cells. When the cells are damaged, they may remain alive but function abnormally. In hearing loss, this would mean that these cells are unable to send sound signals to the auditory nerve. If the damage is due to aging, it is usually the high frequencies that are most affected. Own composition These three auditory conditions can also be caused by damage to the auditory nerve—especially to the nerve fibers that process loud sounds. Damage to these fibers could also explain the presence of hidden hearing loss in some people with tinnitus, even when their audiograms show normal hearing (a loss that prevents them from understand...
