Kaltenbach James A
Department of Otolaryngology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 5E-UHC, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
Hear Res. 2006 Jun-Jul;216-217:224-34. doi: 10.1016/j.heares.2006.01.002. Epub 2006 Feb 15.
The dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) has been modeled in numerous studies as a possible source of tinnitus-generating signals. This hypothesis was originally developed on the basis of evidence that the DCN becomes hyperactive following exposure to intense noise. Since these early observations, evidence that the DCN is an important contributor to tinnitus has grown considerably. In this paper, the available evidence to date will be summarized. In addition, the DCN hypothesis of tinnitus can now be expanded to include possible involvement in other, non-auditory components of tinnitus. It will be shown by way of literature review that the DCN has direct connections with non-auditory brainstem structures, such as the locus coeruleus, reticular formation and raphe nuclei, that are implicated in the control of attention and emotional responses. The hypothesis will be presented that attentional and emotional disorders, such as anxiety and depression, which are commonly associated with tinnitus, may result from an interplay between these non-auditory brainstem structures and the DCN. Implicit in this hypothesis is that attempts to develop effective anti-tinnitus therapies are likely to benefit from a greater understanding of how the levels of activity in the DCN are influenced by different states of activation of these non-auditory brainstem structures and vice versa.
在众多研究中，背侧耳蜗核（DCN）被建模为耳鸣产生信号的一个可能来源。该假设最初是基于以下证据提出的：暴露于高强度噪声后，DCN会变得过度活跃。自这些早期观察以来，DCN是耳鸣重要成因的证据已大幅增加。在本文中，将总结迄今可用的证据。此外，耳鸣的DCN假设现在可以扩展到包括其可能参与耳鸣的其他非听觉成分。通过文献综述将表明，DCN与非听觉脑干结构直接相连，如蓝斑、网状结构和中缝核，这些结构与注意力和情绪反应的控制有关。将提出这样的假设：通常与耳鸣相关的注意力和情绪障碍，如焦虑和抑郁，可能是这些非听觉脑干结构与DCN之间相互作用的结果。该假设的一个隐含观点是，试图开发有效的抗耳鸣疗法可能会受益于更深入地了解这些非听觉脑干结构的不同激活状态如何影响DCN的活动水平，反之亦然。
