Investigating the relationship between anxiety and tinnitus development in a rodent model

The current thesis explored the relationship between anxiety, acoustic trauma-induced hearing loss,amygdala-thalamic circuitry, and the development of tinnitus in a rodent model via behavioral assessments, immunoassays, and intracranial electrophysiological recordings. The findings showed that neonatal dexamethasone exposure induced an adult anxiety-like behavioral phenotype. Subsequent acoustic trauma exposure revealed no difference in susceptibility or time to tinnitus development between dexamethasone-exposed and control animals. However, animals that developed tinnitus displayed higher anxiety levels and elevated firing rates in the medial geniculate nucleus of the thalamus. This research highlights the role of anxiety in influencing tinnitus-development.