In this project, Dr Sonja Pyott at University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands, explores whether mice develop tinnitus in some of the same ways people do and can accurately model the condition in future research.
Project start date: June 2024
Project end date: June 2025
About the project
Dr Sonja Pyott’s team want to understand whether similar patterns of brain activity to people with tinnitus are found in a mouse model of tinnitus.
Previous research using a specialized form of brain imaging, PET (positron emission tomography), shows that people with tinnitus have different levels of activity in parts of the brain associated with hearing compared to people without tinnitus.
If the mouse model also shows this type of activity, then researchers will know that mice can be used to support further research into tinnitus for people..
How it works
Mice will be exposed to loud noise, and some of them will develop tinnitus as a result. The researchers will then use PET imaging to examine activity in the hearing areas of the mice’s brains, looking for the same patterns of activity that are seen in people with tinnitus.
The researchers will then study brain tissues from the mice to better understand the molecular and cellular changes that are associated with tinnitus for people.
How will this research benefit people with tinnitus?
We need accurate and reliable animal models of tinnitus to be able to develop effective treatments for people. This would allow researchers to better understand the processes in the brain that lead to tinnitus, helping them develop better methods of diagnosing tinnitus and tailored therapies.
About the researcher
Dr Sonja Pyott is Associate Professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands. She was awarded the RNID Innovation Seed Fund in 2024.
Hearing is a complex process. Animal models have been, and continue to be, essential for investigating the underlying pathophysiology of hearing loss and related disorders. This research contributes to the validation of animal models for investigating tinnitus while also supporting the training of the next generation of hearing research scientists.”