Abstract #2333

Ciobanu L, Brozoski T, Bauer C, Odintsov B

Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of external auditory stimulation. Current evidence implicates inappropriate neural activity in the CNS in this process. The application of imaging techniques has shown that functional changes at more than one brain level are likely responsible for the development and persistence of tinnitus. We used the technique of manganese-enhanced MRI to assess neural activity in the central auditory pathway of rats with psychophysical evidence of tinnitus after acoustic trauma. Using this technique, the long-term effects of trauma are evident as increased neural activity in auditory midbrain over a year after the exposure.