Tinnitus Retraining Therapy

Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) helps tinnitus patients by offering the possibility of successful habituation of tinnitus-induced reactions and the habituation of tinnitus perception. TRT presumably induces and sustains plastic changes in the neuronal networks within the auditory system, and its connection with the limbic and autonomic nervous systems, but it does not remove the tinnitus signal. Reports from a number of centers around the world indicate high levels of effectiveness of this method. There is still an ongoing discussion regarding TRT's efficacy and the relative contribution of its components. This article attempts to summarize the basis of TRT and its foundations on the neurophysiologic model of tinnitus. Additionally, some questions and concerns related to the method are addressed. KEYWORD Tinnitus - hyperacusis habituation - TRT - stochastic resonance