people with tinnitus are less attentive than others and like music less, shows a study

This study carried out by several hospitals highlights the cognitive and socio-emotional effects of tinnitus, a pathology which affects nearly one in five French people.

People suffering from tinnitus – these ringing, hissing or crackling sounds, heard in one or both ears – are less attentive than others and like music less, show the first results of a clinical trial unveiled Tuesday February 6 and of which franceinfo has taken note. Led by two hospitals of the Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (the Georges-Pompidou European hospital and the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital), by the Brain Institute and the University of Lille, this clinical trial, called Audicog, was conducted on nearly 300 people, half of whom suffered from tinnitus. Supported by the Hearing Foundation, the study aims to better understand the mechanisms of tinnitus.

These results first highlight the importance of broadening research on tinnitus beyond the auditory sphere and the need to consider cognitive and socio-emotional aspects when treating people with tinnitus for improve quality of life. “There is a set of confounding factors which blur the lines”concedes Séverine Samson, professor of neuropsychology at the University of Lille. “We know that these people have hypersensitivity to noise, almost always associated with hearing loss”according to her. “We know that these people have difficulty sleeping and are very irritable”she adds.

Music therapy?

Attention and alertness are lower in people with tinnitus, the study confirms. “If I have tinnitus, my attention will be on the tinnitus and there will no longer be enough resources to deal with what may be threatening outside”explains Doctor Alain Londero, ENT doctor at the Georges-Pompidou European Hospital. “This leaves the door open to therapies that would be targeted at this specific dysfunction, we could do attentional reeducation techniques, we could reeducate by doing music therapy”he continues.

Another observation from this study: people who say they hear tinnitus find music more unpleasant. “The pleasure he previously felt in music is less important”notes Doctor Alain Londero. “What patients tell us is that since they have had tinnitus, they have had difficulty going to a concert”he describes.

Around 15 to 20% of French people say they suffer from tinnitus, of which 1 to 2% say they suffer from it in their daily life.