Comparison of auditory reaction time in noise and quiet in tinnitus subjects

Background and Aim: Tinnitus is perception of sound in absence of external source. Reaction time is the time between sensory stimuli and a behavior. Alternation of auditory reaction time has been shown in the literature in patients with tinnitus. This study has investigated the auditory reaction time in quiet and noise to different frequencies. Methods: Fifteen subjects with chronic tinnitus participated in this study. Basic auditory test and tinnitus evaluations were carried out. In order to measure auditory reaction time, the participants were instructed to press a button after hearing the target sound. Xnote Stopwatch software measured reaction times and data were collected. Results: Auditory reaction time to the tinnitus frequency stimulus decreases significantly (p < 0.05) in tinnitus subjects in both quiet and noise conditions. This alternation is significantly different in noise compared to the quiet condition (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Based on the results, noise can reduce auditory reaction time significantly. Also, alternation of auditory reaction time to the tinnitus frequency ?especially in noise ?ould suggest different central processing of the tinnitus frequency in tinnitus subjects.