• Jasper V Smit, Marcus L F Janssen, Gusta van Zwieten, Ali Jahanshahi, Yasin Temel, and Robert J Stokroos.
• Department of Ear Nose and Throat/Head and Neck Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Neuroscience, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: jasper.smit@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
• Brain Res. 2016 Nov 1; 1650: 118-124.

AbstractIn animal models of tinnitus pathological neuronal activity has been demonstrated. Deep brain stimulation disrupts pathological neuronal activity and might therefore be a potential treatment for patients who suffer severely from tinnitus. In this study, the effect of DBS in the inferior colliculi is investigated in an animal model of tinnitus. The external cortex of the inferior colliculus was targeted because of the key position of the inferior colliculus within the auditory network and the relation of the external cortex with the limbic system. In this study we show the effect of DBS in the inferior colliculus on tinnitus using a within-subject experimental design. After noise trauma, rats showed a significant increase in gap:no gap ratio of the gap-induced prepulse inhibition at 16 and 20kHz (p<0.05), indicating the presence of tinnitus in these frequency bands. During DBS the gap:no gap ratio returned back to baseline (p<0.05). Hearing thresholds before and during DBS did not differ, indicating that hearing function is probably not impaired by electrical stimulation. In summary, this study shows that DBS of the inferior colliculi is effective in reducing behavioral signs of tinnitus in an animal model. Impaired hearing function could not be objectified as a side effect of stimulation.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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