Genetics of Tinnitus: Time to Biobank Phantom Sounds

Front Genet. 2017 Sep 4:8:110. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2017.00110. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Tinnitus is a common phantom sensation resulting most often from sensory deprivation, and for which little knowledge on the molecular mechanisms exists. While the existing evidence for a genetic influence on the condition has been until now sparse and underpowered, recent data suggest that specific forms of tinnitus have a strong genetic component revealing that not all tinnitus percepts are alike, at least in how they are genetically driven. These new findings pave the way for a better understanding on how phantom sensations are molecularly driven and call for international biobanking efforts.

Keywords: GWAS (genome-wide association study); genetics; heritability; neuropsychiatry; subtype; tinnitus; whole exome sequencing.