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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Neuropharmacology
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1551106
This article is part of the Research Topic Dysfunctions in GABAergic Signaling in Neurological Disorders View all 3 articles
Decoding Tinnitus Progression: Neurochemical Shifts in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex Revealed by Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Provisionally accepted- 1 Department of Ear, Nose, and Throat, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- 2 Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
Background: Tinnitus persists as a significant public health challenge with elusive neurochemical underpinnings. Emerging evidence implicates dysregulated excitatory-inhibitory neurotransmission in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a limbic-auditory hub governing tinnitus salience. This study investigates dynamic ACC neurochemical changes during tinnitus progression.Methods: Using single-voxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), GABA+/creatine (Cr) and Glx (glutamate+glutamine)/Cr ratios were measured in the ACC of 16 recent-onset (RO; <6 months), 22 chronic (CH; ≥6 months) tinnitus patients, and 26 healthy controls (HC). Tinnitus severity was assessed via tinnitometry and Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI).Results: RO patients exhibited significantly reduced ACC GABA+/Cr compared to CH and HC groups (p < 0.05), while CH and HC showed no differences. GABA+/Cr positively correlated with tinnitus duration across patients (r = 0.364, p = 0.025). Although Glx/Cr did not differ between groups, elevated Glx/Cr associated with higher tinnitus pitch-matching frequencies (r = 0.421, p = 2 0.008) and emotional distress (TFI-E; r = 0.370, p = 0.022), though these findings did not survive multiple comparison correction.Early tinnitus is characterized by ACC GABAergic deficits, while chronicity features normalized GABA+/Cr levels-suggesting compensatory neuroplastic restoration of inhibition over time. Glutamatergic activity may modulate perceptual and emotional dimensions of tinnitus. These phase-specific ACC neurochemical shifts highlight potential therapeutic targets for arresting tinnitus progression. Longitudinal studies are warranted to validate temporal dynamics.
Keywords: Tinnitus, GABA, anterior cingulate cortex, Recent onset, chronic
Received: 24 Dec 2024; Accepted: 12 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Gong, Han, Shen, Li, Liu and Tao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yonggang Li, Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
Ji-Sheng Liu, Department of Ear, Nose, and Throat, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
Duo-Duo Tao, Department of Ear, Nose, and Throat, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
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