HESP Seminar Series: LaGuinn Sherlock (Walter Reed Medical Center)

Measuring the effect of tinnitus on concentration

Abstract: The incidence of tinnitus in the United States is estimated to be over 50 million adults. While tinnitus itself is not a disease, it can have a significant impact on quality of life. Most patients with bothersome tinnitus report difficulty with concentration. Previous studies have shown that people with bothersome tinnitus perform more poorly on tests of selective attention and memory compared to people without tinnitus. The purpose of this study is to compare performance on selective attention and short-term memory tasks between people with and without tinnitus as a function of the auditory environment (silence, with low-level neutral background noise, such as that used in tinnitus therapy, and with two talkers having a conversation). Preliminary results will be presented and discussed in terms of differences in performance as a function of listener group and test condition.