Influence of Tinnitus on Auditory Spectral and Temporal Resolution and Speech Perception in Tinnitus Patients

Abstract

We can easily find unilateral tinnitus patients who have symmetric hearing thresholds. Our research question was what kind of difference would be responsible for the tinnitus in the tinnitus-affected ears but not in the non-tinnitus ears of subjects with symmetric hearing thresholds. The answer to this fundamental question could help us to understand the pathophysiology of tinnitus. We evaluated the potential influence of tinnitus upon the subjects' auditory spectral and temporal resolution and speech perception in noise by comparing these psychoacoustic performances between tinnitus-affected ears and non-tinnitus ears in the same subjects.