The development of a neural psychological immune endocrine model of tinnitus

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Ola Abdullah Alsalman (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
George Michel

Abstract: The empirical and systematic implications of the physiological - endocrine and neural - processes underlying an individual's experience with tinnitus are not yet fully understood. Individual differences in reaction to stressful situations, including tinnitus, can be detected in the autonomic nervous system as measured by alpha amylase, adrenal cortical secretions, as measured by cortisol, circadian cycles, as measured by melatonin, and the immune system, as measured by neopterin. These hormones contribute to how individuals experience tinnitus differently. The purpose of this study was to develop a model of the tinnitus experience with a focus on the influence of physiological changes in the endocrine and immune systems. Ten male participants with tinnitus and ten male without tinnitus were exposed to an arithmetic induced-stress task. Saliva essays for cortisol, alpha-amylase, melatonin, and neopterin were collected. Behavioral and audiometric measures were administrated. Regression ANOVA models were used to examine any evidence of group difference on each of the four bio markers, controlling for the effects of baseline measure, stress, sleep, and tinnitus severity. In addition, nonparametric tests were computed to control for the assumption of normality and homoscedasticity. The results suggest evidence of a potential difference in cortisol, alpha-amylase, melatonin, and neopterin reactivity in the tinnitus group. In addition, the results of this study demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing a psychological immune endocrine (T-NPIE) model in the study of tinnitus.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2014
Keywords
Cortisol, Melatonin, Neopterin, Salivary-Alpha Amylase, Tinnitus
Subjects
Tinnitus $x Pathophysiology

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