Is Tinnitus Caused By a Shock to the Auditory System?

[geg1992]

This may sound stupid, but is T mostly from a shock to the auditory system, like sudden hearing loss for example?

As I see people say that a lot of people who lose their hearing over time don't get T, is this because it's gradual so the brain compensates for it easily? Whereas for example an acoustic trauma is sudden hearing loss so the brain just doesn't cope so sends out a random signal being T?

 

[geg1992]

Oh, perhaps I was wrong thinking it was a silly question!

 

[linearb]

I think this is interesting and no one really knows, but a current working theory is that the tinnitus signal is initially a normal response to input loss of some kind, which is supposed to be cancelled by an inhibitory mechanism (somewhere in the thalamus?) before it reaches conscious awareness, and that people with chronic tinnitus have a structural brain problem that results in a loss of this inhibition which allows the signal to become a conscious percept.

 

[Jessikweh]

I think it really differs, & no one knows. I've never had any form of hearing loss or been around loud noises. I just woke up in the middle of the night with tinnitus! Though that is a very interesting theory.

 

[geg1992]

I think it really differs, & no one knows. I've never had any form of hearing loss or been around loud noises. I just woke up in the middle of the night with tinnitus! Though that is a very interesting theory.

Just out of interest, what frequency have you had your ears tested to? As I had none on the doctors hearing test, but when I tested my self, my left ear has hearing loss about 16.5K, whereas I can hear up to 18K in my right, so I assume this is what's causing my T, as it was the left ear which was muffled after the gig.