Neural substrates of tinnitus in animal and human cortex : cortical correlates of tinnitus.

Animal models of tinnitus complement human findings and potentially deepen our insight into the neural substrates of tinnitus. The fact that animal data are largely based on recordings from the auditory system, in particular from subcortical structures, makes comparison with human electrophysiological data from predominantly cortical areas difficult. Electro/magnetoencephalography and imaging data extend beyond the auditory cortex. The most challenging link to be made is the one between the macroscopic data in humans and the microscopic (single neuron action potentials) and mesoscopic (local field potentials) results obtained in animal models. Since invasive recordings in humans are rare, a bridge needs to be built on the basis of changes in brain rhythms in animals with putative tinnitus.