Tinnitus and tinnitus disorder: Genetic, neurobiological, and clinical differentiation
Year: 2026
Type: review
Abstract: Tinnitus is the conscious perception of sound in the absence of an external acoustic source. When accompanied by emotional distress, cognitive dysfunction, or autonomic arousal leading to behavioral and functional impairment, it is termed "tinnitus disorder." This perspective synthesizes genetic, epidemiological, and neuroimaging evidence supporting the distinction between tinnitus and tinnitus disorder. Genetic studies indicate that tinnitus is linked to multiple common variants of small effect size, whereas tinnitus disorder involves rarer variants exerting larger effects. Epidemiologically, hearing loss is the primary risk factor for tinnitus, whereas personality traits like neuroticism, mood, and sleep disturbances predict tinnitus disorder. Neuroimaging identifies three interrelated neural pathways: a lateral "loudness" pathway, a descending "inhibitory" pathway, and a medial "distress" pathway that is specifically activated in tinnitus disorder, providing a neural basis for tinnitus related suffering. Future needs include the establishment of standardized diagnostic criteria and a severity grading system of tinnitus disorder.
Source: iScience
Authors: Dirk De Ridder, Tobias Kleinjung, Jae-Jin Song, Divya Adhia, Matt Hall, Anusha Yasoda-Mohan, Sven Vanneste, Alain Londero, Nathan Weisz, Winfred Schlee, Ana Belen Elgoyhen, Christopher Cederroth, Jose Antonio Lopez-Escamez, Silvano Gallus, Stefan Schoisswohl, William Sedley, Grant Searchfield, Shi Nae Park, Berthold Langguth
Institutions: University of Otago, University of Zurich, ETH Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Seoul National University, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Inserm, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Lariboisière, Fondation Pour l'Audition, University of Salzburg, OST - Ostschweizer Fachhochschule, University of Applied Sciences St. Gallen, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Karolinska Institutet, The University of Sydney, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, University Hospital Regensburg, University of Regensburg, Newcastle University, University of Auckland, The Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic University of Korea
Language: English
Subfield: Sensory Systems
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,240
OpenAlex ID: W7163403591