Ricerc@Sapienza

Background: For many healthcare providers, tinnitus and hyperacusis are difficult symptoms to treat. There remains no conclusive cure for either symptom; however, helpful management strategies have been developed utilising counselling and sound therapy. Nowadays, most modern hearing aids have integrated sound therapy as a programable option; although, unlike hearing aid gain characteristics, output verification of sound therapy programs is not common practice.

Objective: This article reviews: (1) the evidence related to enhanced central gain as a potential mechanism for the generation of tinnitus and hyperacusis, (2) the neuroplastic changes induced by prolonged, low-level sound stimulation and (3) the clinical effectiveness of various sound therapies and amplification for the treatment of tinnitus and hyperacusis. Design: General literature review. Study sample: Peer-reviewed articles related to auditory neural gain, prolonged low-level noise exposure and effectiveness of sound therapy.