Nieschalk M, Hustert B, Stoll W
Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenheilkunde, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany.
Am J Otol. 1998 Sep;19(5):611-8.
This study aimed to compare reaction times (RTs) to auditory stimuli of two groups of normal-hearing subjects differing only in terms of tinnitus sensation.
The RTs to auditory stimuli as a psychophysical measurement for threshold and suprathreshold hearing are said to provide a behavioral clue to some aspects of neural processing in the auditory system.
To explore how patients with tinnitus perceive the intensity of threshold and suprathreshold sound stimuli, RTs were obtained from normal-hearing subjects with tinnitus (experimental group, N=15) and from normal-hearing subjects without tinnitus (control group, N=15) by means of exposure to two different sets of frequencies: the tinnitus frequencies and the nontinnitus frequency of 1,000 Hz.
There were significant differences in RTs in the experimental group and in the control group not only for the tinnitus frequencies, but also for the nontinnitus frequency of 1,000 Hz. The experimental group had shorter RTs than did the control group at sensation levels (SLs) near the threshold, with no significant differences between groups at sound stimuli in the suprathreshold intensity range.
It is assumed that the above-mentioned reduction in RTs shows a dysfunction of cochlear mechanisms contributing to tinnitus. Conversely, tinnitus also can be considered as an additional auditory input leading to shorter RTs at SLs near the threshold. The current study suggests that the reaction time procedure to auditory stimuli offers complementary information on tinnitus sensation and might be a valuable method in demonstrating general differences and tendencies that have been neglected so far. Analysis for the mechanisms of tinnitus sensation allows for the possibility of facilitating the process of tinnitus habituation and, ultimately, the relief from it.
本研究旨在比较两组听力正常但仅在耳鸣感觉方面存在差异的受试者对听觉刺激的反应时间（RTs）。
作为一种用于测量阈值和阈上听力的心理物理学方法，对听觉刺激的反应时间被认为可为听觉系统神经处理的某些方面提供行为线索。
为探究耳鸣患者如何感知阈值和阈上声音刺激的强度，通过让两组听力正常的受试者分别接触两组不同频率的声音来获取反应时间：一组为耳鸣频率，另一组为1000Hz的非耳鸣频率。其中，有耳鸣的听力正常受试者为实验组（N = 15），无耳鸣的听力正常受试者为对照组（N = 15）。
实验组和对照组不仅在耳鸣频率下的反应时间存在显著差异，在1000Hz的非耳鸣频率下也存在显著差异。在接近阈值的感觉水平（SLs）时，实验组的反应时间比对照组短，而在阈上强度范围内的声音刺激下，两组之间无显著差异。
据推测，上述反应时间的缩短表明了与耳鸣相关的耳蜗机制功能障碍。相反，耳鸣也可被视为一种额外的听觉输入，导致在接近阈值的感觉水平下反应时间缩短。当前研究表明，对听觉刺激的反应时间程序可为耳鸣感觉提供补充信息，并且可能是一种有价值的方法，可用于揭示迄今被忽视的一般差异和趋势。对耳鸣感觉机制的分析有助于促进耳鸣习惯化过程，并最终缓解耳鸣。
