Barker Jude L R, Hoare Derek J, Sereda Magdalena, Sollini Joseph
Hearing Sciences, Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
Front Neurosci. 2025 Aug 22;19:1656934. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1656934. eCollection 2025.
The Zwicker tone (ZT) is an auditory illusion experienced by about 50% of the population immediately following a presentation of notched noise (NN). It is a faint, quickly decaying pure tone, the frequency of which falls within the range of the notch. Interestingly, although only half of the general population can perceive ZTs, one study has shown that almost everyone with tinnitus can perceive them. If there is this strong association, the ZT is an easily controllable paradigm that can be employed in the laboratory setting to explore tinnitus related concepts and better interrogate underlying neural mechanisms. This scoping review aimed to catalogue what is currently known about the ZT, and what can be said about its potential relationship with tinnitus. Through a systematic search of the literature, 16 records were identified for inclusion; all reported investigations of ZTs arising after spectrally contrasted in adults who had either normal hearing or tinnitus with/without hearing loss. The proportion of a given sample who were able to hear ZTs varied across studies, from 30 to 100%. The probability of hearing a ZT is modulated by a range of parameters, including: stimulus type (e.g., low-pass versus notched noise), notch centre frequency/width, and stimulus duration. Although these factors modulate the probability of perceiving a ZT, the idea that ZT perception is largely binary is also somewhat supported by individual data. In addition, some variables alter the quality of the percept, e.g., louder stimuli induce a higher pitched ZT. Despite several records drawing comparison between ZT and tinnitus, only one study has thus far investigated ZT in people with tinnitus, albeit finding a highly significant difference in responder rate in tinnitus versus control participants. Several methodological issues potentially affecting responder rate were identified, however, which warrants replication and extension, with careful control. We conclude that (1) Zwicker tone perception relies on a range of factors both stimulus and cognitive related, (2) Further work is required to map the parameters that induce the Zwicker tone and (3) While obvious similarities exist linking tinnitus and Zwicker tones more work is needed to prove the link between the two.
兹维克音调（ZT）是一种听觉错觉，约50%的人在听到带凹口噪声（NN）后会立即体验到。它是一种微弱、迅速衰减的纯音，其频率落在凹口范围内。有趣的是，虽然只有一半的普通人群能感知到ZT，但一项研究表明，几乎所有耳鸣患者都能感知到它们。如果存在这种强烈关联，那么ZT就是一种易于控制的范式，可用于实验室环境中探索与耳鸣相关的概念，并更好地探究潜在的神经机制。本综述旨在梳理目前关于ZT的已知信息，以及探讨其与耳鸣潜在关系的相关内容。通过系统检索文献，确定了16篇记录纳入研究；所有研究均报告了在听力正常或有耳鸣且伴有/不伴有听力损失的成年人中，在频谱对比后出现的ZT的相关调查。不同研究中能够听到ZT的特定样本比例有所不同，从30%到100%不等。听到ZT的概率受一系列参数调节，包括：刺激类型（如低通与带凹口噪声）、凹口中心频率/宽度以及刺激持续时间。尽管这些因素调节了感知ZT的概率，但个体数据在一定程度上也支持了ZT感知在很大程度上是二元性的观点。此外，一些变量会改变感知的质量，例如，更强的刺激会诱发更高音调的ZT。尽管有几篇记录对ZT和耳鸣进行了比较，但迄今为止只有一项研究调查了耳鸣患者的ZT，尽管该研究发现耳鸣患者与对照组参与者的反应率存在高度显著差异。然而，我们确定了几个可能影响反应率的方法学问题，这需要在严格控制下进行重复和扩展研究。我们得出结论：（1）兹维克音调感知依赖于一系列与刺激和认知相关的因素；（2）需要进一步研究来确定诱发兹维克音调的参数；（3）虽然耳鸣和兹维克音调之间存在明显相似之处，但仍需要更多研究来证明两者之间的联系。
