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Dear colleagues I am a named collaborator with Prof Kevin Munro on a PhD position at the University of Manchester, entitled: Surgically Induced Unilateral Hearing Loss: Understanding the Neural Basis of Tinnitus Please encourage appropriate colleagues and students to apply. The link to apply is here https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/research/funded-programmes/mrc-dtp/ and the Abstract is below. Thanks and best wishes David |
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Tinnitus, the perception of sound in the absence of a physical source, is a common chronic hearing-related condition. Our epidemiological studies have revealed that tinnitus affects 10% of the UK adult population.
Tinnitus is strongly associated with hearing loss, and seriously affects the quality of life of around 3-5% of the adult population. There is no cure for tinnitus. Therapeutic interventions are restricted to management of the symptoms and the subsequent distress.
The evidence base for the efficacy of any of these therapeutic approaches is limited. There is a consensus that hearing loss results in hyperactivity in the central auditory system and this causes tinnitus. The development of individualised care for tinnitus
patients (and ultimately a cure) requires a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of tinnitus, along with more accurate ways to assess treatment efficacy. Therefore, the aim of this project is to investigate the neural mechanisms of tinnitus in
adult humans. The project will use patients with an acoustic neuroma (AN), a benign tumour that affects the auditory nerve. Surgery results in a sudden and profound hearing loss on the affected side. Our studies in this
population have revealed large scale neuroplasticity and, importantly, around 50% of these patients report
new tinnitus post-operatively. We will use a variety of psychophysical, electrophysiological and MRI tests before and after surgery to investigate the nature, and time course, of changes in neural activity, its amplitude and localization, and the presence
of tinnitus. Brainstem and cortical EEG will be used cross-sectionally and longitudinally to measure activation at high temporal resolution. Pre- and post-surgery MRI, a novel tool in our studies of AN surgery, will localise longer-term plasticity using network
analysis. Standard questionnaire and behavioural tests will characterise the tinnitus. We will also investigate factors (e.g., personality traits, attentional tuning etc) that might indicate a predisposition to tinnitus. The student will receive: (i) general training in basic and translational research methodologies, and (ii) specific training in audiological, psychoacoustical, electrophysiological and MRI techniques. Our
state-of-the-art research and clinical team, environment and track record of research on this population, mean we are well placed to successfully undertake the proposed work. The results of the project will provide a better understanding of the neural basis
of tinnitus, and contribute to personalised treatment and improved outcomes. |
Professor David Baguley
Professor in Hearing Sciences
President, British Tinnitus Association
Deputy Director
National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Hearing Biomedical Research Unit
Ropewalk House, 113 The Ropewalk, Nottingham, NG1 5DU
t: +44 (0)115 823 2635 (direct) | t: +44 (0)115 823 2600 (reception) | w:
www.hearing.nihr.ac.uk
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