Transient tinnitus in people with normal hearing induced by sound deprivation

Abstract

The emergence of silence induced tinnitus perception was studied in 20 normal hearing Caucasian adults. Psychoacoustical characterization of any participants' silence-induced tinnitus was performed after sitting in a sound proof booth for 20 minutes. Participants were then moved to an anechoic chamber in order to compare their experiences to the sound booth. Tinnitus was perceived in 40% of the listeners in the sound booth and in 60% of the listeners in the anechoic chamber. Tinnitus was perceived sooner in the anechoic chamber than in the sound booth. No significant differences in tinnitus perception or emergence were seen between the sound booth and anechoic chamber or between males and females. Of the participants who perceived tinnitus, the largest percent, 33%, matched the pitch to be around 4000 Hz and 44% matched the loudness to be 0-2 dB SL. These pyschoacoustical characterizations are similar to those reported by tinnitus patients.