Otolaryngology: Open Access
Open Access

Abstract

One major obstacle in the development of our understanding of the pathophysiology, prevention, and treatment for tinnitus is the fact that tinnitus measurement in both animal models and human subjects has been notoriously difficult. Without an adequate measurement of tinnitus we cannot hope to adequately diagnose, track, and provide treatment for those suffering. This talk will highlight some of the datafrom our lab and others on the measurement of tinnitus in animal models and humans using silent gap-based testing. The hypothesis of thiswork is that the fundamental deficit present in tinnitus is that the subjectcan no longer hear silence. By using silence as a test cue in an automated session, we hope to be able to provide objective and reliable measurement of tinnitus, and to ultimately provide a useful tool for researchers and clinicians. This talk will highlight the need for better measurements in tinnitus, summarize the contributions of the animal model work, and identify the challenges still ahead of us.

Biography

Jeremy Turner, PhD, is a Research Professor in Otolaryngology and Pharmacology at SIU School of Medicine and an Associate Professor of Psychology at Illinois College. His research focuses on animal models of hearing loss and tinnitus. His research has been supported by the US National Institutes of Health (NIDCD and NIA), the Tinnitus Research Consortium, the US Department of Defense, and several pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Turner also co-founded a contract hearing research company, OtoScience Labs, which conducts noise and tinnitus research and consulting. He is a member of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, Society for Neuroscience, and is on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the American Tinnitus Association.