Mini Review on Tinnitus and Cognition Cognitive characteristics plays an important role in tinnitus-related distress.
Auditory characteristics are not the sole determinants of tinnitus-related distress rather the
cognitive factors play a crucial role in regulating psychological adaptation to tinnitus distress.
The present mini-review aims to briefly summarize and establish an association
between tinnitus and cognition.
The results of the previous literature studies show that tinnitus and cognition are two closely associated concepts. The cognitive characteristics play a role in linking the severity of tinnitus to tinnitus-related distress. A combination of the clinical determinants helps provide the best rehabilitation for psychological adaptation to
tinnitus.
Controlling the cognitive characteristics helps in establishing better psychological
adaptations. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps reduce annoyance due to tinnitus rather than
completely eliminating annoyance
Auditory factors are not the only determinants of tinnitus-related distress. Annoyance associated with tinnitus is more closely related to cognitive characteristics relative to auditory factors such as pitch and loudness only. Cognitive mechanisms actively interplay between the severity of tinnitus and the distress caused due to tinnitus. Cognitive interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy are therefore considered necessary for psychological
adaptations.
The cognitive characteristics play an important role in the clinical incidence of tinnitus. The term cognition is defined as the substantial varieties of human activities such as perception, sensation, reasoning, problem-solving, memory, consciousness, and attention.
Tinnitus is defined as the auditory perception in the ears or in the head in the absence of an external
auditory stimulus. The functional role that cognition plays in tinnitus is difficult to ignore.
Tinnitus can be extremely disturbing and can cause emotional discomfort due to depression
and anxiety.
Otolaryngol Open J. 2018; SE(5): S10-S13. doi: 10.17140/OTLOJ-SE-5-103
