Relationship between anxiety and tinnitus development in a rat model.

Tinnitus, the auditory perception of sound without an external environmental stimulus, affects 15% of the human population and is associated with hearing loss. Interestingly, anxiety may be a significant risk factor in tinnitus pathophysiology potentially due to underlying common neural circuits of the auditory and limbic systems. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of stress-induced anxiety on tinnitus development in a rat model.

Using x-ray micro computed tomography to quantify intracochlear fibrosis after cochlear implantation in a Guinea pig model.

Cochlear implants (CIs) allow individuals with profound hearing loss to understand speech and perceive sounds. However, not all patients obtain the full benefits that CIs can provide and the cause of this disparity is not fully understood. One possible factor for the variability in outcomes after cochlear implantation, is the development of fibrotic scar tissue around the implanted electrode.