The Precuneus as a Sound-Suppressing Agent in Tinnitus

 

Source: Wikipedia

 

The precuneus is a region within the parietal lobe of the brain that plays an important role in how our mind functions, including how we become aware of different stimuli—even internal ones, such as tinnitus sounds. This brain region is connected to two neural networks that work in an inverse relationship: the dorsal attention network and the default mode network. When one is active, the other is switched off.

Dr. Fatima Husain, who has been studying tinnitus for many years, has proposed the theory that the perception of tinnitus is generated in the precuneus.

Based on her research, she discovered that in chronic tinnitus this region tends to connect more strongly with the attention network and less with the default mode network. This helps explain, among other things, why patients remain focused on their tinnitus more than necessary.

In her view, many of us—perhaps almost all of us—would perceive tinnitus sounds if it weren’t for the precuneus, which keeps that stimulus suppressed by staying connected primarily to the default mode network. According to Dr. Husain, this suppression can break down due to exposure to loud noise, infections, or other factors. This idea is similar to what another tinnitus specialist, Dr. Josef Rauschecker, proposes: that tinnitus emerges when an internal sound-suppression system fails. According to him, this system is formed by the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, the nucleus accumbens, and the anterior cingulate cortex. All this suggests that practically all of us have these internal tinnitus sounds, but the brain suppresses them—until, for some reason, that suppression stops working.

Below is the video of Dr. Husain’s recent lecture (April 1, 2025), presented as part of the seminar series organized by the Tinnitus Research Initiative (TRI), in which she discusses this topic and other important and interesting aspects of the current state of tinnitus research:

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