The Role of Cognitive Control on Perceptual Functions in Tinnitus

Tinnitus, or phantom auditory perception, affects around 10% of the population and can be extremely debilitating. This project investigates the mechanisms that determine the relationship between the severity of tinnitus and deficits in working memory and attention.
Tinnitus can be a distressing condition, for which millions of people worldwide seek help. So far, help is limited, because the mechanisms of tinnitus generation are not understood. An important aspect of the condition is that patients with equal tinnitus pitch and loudness can report widely different degrees of perceived intrusiveness and handicap. This is because, while some patients can habituate to their tinnitus, some patients remain distressed by it.
Following up on a recent study showing that fluid intelligence, a concept closely related to attention, moderates the correlation between tinnitus severity and deficits in working memory [1], we propose to investigate the directionality of the link between cognition and tinnitus severity using clinical neuropsychological tests. One theory involving attention is Rauschecker’s “Gating mechanism” [2], which suggests that attention deficits adversely affect the habituation process that would normally prevent phantom sounds reaching awareness. We will examine this by investigating the effects of varying levels of working memory load and executive attention on tinnitus severity and manipulating the relationship between WM and tinnitus severity experimentally by increasing attentional demands. What differentiates these two types of patients is presently unclear but tinnitus-related deficits in cognition, and in particular attention, has been suggested as a mediating factor.
Applicants should have a first- or upper second-class degree in psychology or a related discipline. Familiarity with cognitive concepts and theories is essential. Experience in testing participants or patients is desirable.
[1] Rossiter, et al. (2006). Tinnitus and its effect on working memory and attention. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 49(1), 150-160.
[2] Rauschecker et al. (2010). Tuning out the noise: limbic-auditory interactions in tinnitus