A pilot study to identify metabolic network changes in tinnitus patients using metabolomics
Principle Investigator: Dr. Yiwen Zheng (University of Otago). Associate Investigators: A/P Grant Searchfield (University of Auckland); Prof. Paul Smith (University of Otago)
Tinnitus is a common intrusive auditory disorder, namely, the perception and conscious awareness of sound that is not physically present. Prevalence of tinnitus in NZ is reported as 6% for the total population and 13.5% for people over 65 years. With the increases in the ageing population in NZ, tinnitus is likely to impact an increasing number of New Zealanders in the future.
Tinnitus treatment options are very limited and none of the currently available approaches show benefit following meta-analytic scrutiny. The heterogeneity of this disorder requires an innovative, dynamic approach to improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes. Metabolomics analyses changes in the concentrations of a broad range of metabolites, and could provide biomarkers and treatment targets for tinnitus that is tailored to the patient.
This project brings together tinnitus research experts from Otago and Auckland to identify tinnitus biomarkers in human patients. This proof of concept study will provide evidence for the feasibility of conducting a large scale, multi-centre clinical study to identify tinnitus-causing metabolic networks for patients with different tinnitus profiles.