cortical plasticity induced by uni- and multi-modal training in tinnitus patient

(2014) Playing and listening to tailor-made notched music: cortical plasticity induced by unimodal and multimodal training in tinnitus patients. Neural Plasticity 2014:5 pp. 161-163

Authors
Pape J, Paraskevopoulos E, Bruchmann M, Wollbrink A, Pantev C – Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Münster
Rudack C – ENT Department, University Clinic Münster, University of Münster

Abstract

BACKGROUND. The generation and maintenance of tinnitus are assumed to be based on maladaptive functional cortical reorganization. Listening to modified music, which contains no energy in the range of the individual tinnitus frequency, can inhibit the corresponding neuronal activity in the auditory cortex. Music making has been shown to be a powerful stimulator for brain plasticity, inducing changes in multiple sensory systems. Using magnetoencephalographic (MEG) and behavioral measurements we evaluated the cortical plasticity effects of two months of (a) active listening to (unisensory) versus (b) learning to play (multisensory) tailor-made notched music in nonmusician tinnitus patients. Taking into account the fact that uni- and multisensory trainings induce different patterns of cortical plasticity we hypothesized that these two protocols will have different affects.
RESULTS. Only the active listening (unisensory) group showed significant reduction of tinnitus related activity of the middle temporal cortex and an increase in the activity of a tinnitus-coping related posterior parietal area.
CONCLUSIONS. These findings indicate that active listening to tailor-made notched music induces greater neuroplastic changes in the maladaptively reorganized cortical network of tinnitus patients while additional integration of other sensory modalities during training reduces these neuroplastic effects.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24895541