serotonin tinnitus severity study opens the door for more precise treatment using ssris
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while the serotonin tinnitus severity study doesn’t provide a eureka moment in curing tinnitus, it does pave the way for researchers to discover more precise drugs that may work to treat tinnitus.
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when you hear the word serotonin, you often think of mental health—the neurotransmitter is most notably known for its role in anxiety and depression. however, new research suggests it could drive worsened symptoms in another condition: tinnitus, a constant ringing or buzzing in the ears that can range from mildly irritating to severely anxiety-inducing. as many as 14 per cent of people worldwide have tinnitus.
the serotonin tinnitus severity study, published in the proceedings of the national academy, looked at serotonin’s role in how bad those symptoms could be in mice and found that the more serotonin was found, the worse those symptoms were.
while the animal model in the serotonin tinnitus severity study doesn’t automatically confirm that elevated serotonin causes tinnitus, it does provide insight into patients taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (ssris) for psychiatric conditions and the connection between the common, often-overlooked complaints associated with these drugs.
the serotonin and tinnitus connection
in the serotonin tinnitus severity study, researchers examined how the neurotransmitter affects the auditory system and found that a specific brain circuit involving both—when there is more serotonin in the brain, it can induce the buzzing or ringing sensation in the ears.
when they discovered the circuit connection, they turned it off, and the mice in the study showed fewer behavioural symptoms of tinnitus. to turn the circuit off, researchers used a technique known as optogenetics, which combines both optics and genetic engineering to control neurons in the brain using light.
they aimed light into the brain to trigger the production of serotonin to increase its levels and assessed how the ice responded to an auditory startle response.
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“we’ve suspected that serotonin was involved in tinnitus, but we didn’t really understand how,” said co-author of the study, zheng-quan tang, ph.d., of anhui university of china in a neuroscience news article. “this gives us a much clearer picture of what’s going on in the brain and points towards new possibilities for treatment.”
findings of the serotonin tinnitus severity study consistent with human experience
while the study was done in mice, people who have taken ssris in the past have commonly complained about worsening symptoms of tinnitus after starting their medication.
these important findings not only validate these complaints but also give physicians and researchers a new path toward understanding more targeted ways to provide this type of therapy.
according to co-senior author laurence trussell, ph.d., professor of otolaryngology in the ohsu school of medicine, there is a “delicate balance” needed to achieve an increase in serotonin to help one condition without exacerbating or bringing on another.
“it may be possible to develop cell- or brain region-specific drugs that steer the elevation of serotonin in some brain regions but not others,” he said in an article in neuroscience news. “in that way, it may be possible to separate the beneficial and important effects of the antidepressant from the potentially harmful effects on hearing.”
while the serotonin tinnitus severity study doesn’t provide a eureka moment in curing tinnitus, it does pave the way for researchers to discover more precise drugs that may work to treat tinnitus without affecting mood function or treat mood disorders without affecting the auditory system.
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