HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal My Folders Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kaltenbach, J. A. Articles by Godfrey, D. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kaltenbach, J. A. Articles by Godfrey, D. A.

Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus Hyperactivity and Tinnitus: Are They Related?

Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH

Donald A. Godfrey

University of Toledo, Toledo, OH

Contact author: James A. Kaltenbach, Department of Neurosciences/Otolaryngology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195. E-mail: kaltenj{at}ccf.org.

Purpose: Eight lines of evidence implicating the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) as a tinnitus contributing site are reviewed. We now expand the presentation of this model, elaborate on its essential details, and provide answers to commonly asked questions regarding its validity.

Conclusions: Over the past decade, numerous studies have converged to support the hypothesis that the DCN may be an important brain center in the generation and modulation of tinnitus. Although other auditory centers have been similarly implicated, the DCN deserves special emphasis because, as a primary acoustic nucleus, it occupies a potentially pivotal position in the hierarchy of functional processes leading to the emergence of tinnitus percepts. Moreover, because a great deal is known about the underlying cellular categories and the details of synaptic circuitry within the DCN, this brain center offers a potentially powerful model for probing mechanisms underlying tinnitus.

Key Words: tinnitus, dorsal cochlear nucleus, hyperactivity, plasticity, noise exposure