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Tinnitus—on the interplay between emotion and cognition

Tinnitus im Wechselspiel zwischen Emotion und Kognition. Englische Version

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Abstract

Subjective tinnitus (hereafter tinnitus) is often considered and studied as a perceptual phenomenon. Accordingly, various abnormalities in the area of cognitive processing have been reported in patients with tinnitus. At the same time, the disorder is characterized by considerable emotional distress, which is associated with a high comorbidity of affective disorders. Here, we aim to outline the close link between cognition and emotion, and how current research from the field of cognitive neuroscience examines the processing and acquisition of emotional stimuli. The emotional valence of stimuli can be acquired after brief exposure to learning, leading from neutral to appetitive or aversive evaluation. In contrast to neutral stimuli, emotional stimuli attract attention very early (about 100 ms) during processing, leading to deeper processing and corresponding memory effects. The involved subcortical and cortical network encompasses limbic and sensory areas. In particular, prefrontal regions are involved in the acquisition and evaluation of emotional stimuli as also shown in studies of patients with affect disorders. The interplay of cognitive and emotional processes seems to be central to the development, maintenance, and treatment of tinnitus.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ENT Clinic, University Hospital Jena, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Klinikum 1, 07747, Jena, Germany

    Christian Dobel

  2. Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany

    Markus Junghöfer

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  1. Christian Dobel
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  2. Markus Junghöfer
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Correspondence to Christian Dobel.

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Conflict of interest

C. Dobel and M. Junghöfer declare that they have no competing interests.

For this article no studies with human participants or animals were performed by any of the authors. All studies mentioned were in accordance with the ethical standards indicated in each case.

The supplement containing this article is not sponsored by industry.

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Dobel, C., Junghöfer, M. Tinnitus—on the interplay between emotion and cognition. HNO 72 (Suppl 1), 46–50 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00106-023-01339-1

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