Table of Contents

ABSTRACT

It is evident that many adults with ear problems report the presence of sounds in their ears (even though there are no external sounds). This condition, known as tinnitus, can be serious and requires specialized assessments and dedicated treatments. For many decades, continuous efforts have been made to explain the physiological mechanism of tinnitus. In view of this, the auditory brainstem response (ABR), an electrophysiological assessment, has piqued interest among researchers in order to study the tinnitus generation at the brainstem level. In this paper, the ABR findings in individuals with tinnitus are reviewed as applicable. It appears that waves I and V of ABR are the useful indicators for describing the possible mechanism of tinnitus generation within the brainstem region. Nevertheless, based on the available literature, mixed findings have been reported, in which further research is needed to appropriately understand the tinnitus generation physiologically. In addition, it is also of interest to employ the ABR procedure to study the fundamental aspect of tinnitus suppression physiologically (that underpins the concept of sound therapy), and research in this area is welcomed.

Keywords: Tinnitus, electrophysiology, auditory brainstem response, amplitude, latency, sound therapy, Malaysia