Perceptual Modeling of Tinnitus Pitch and Loudness

Tinnitus is the phantom perception of sound, experiencedby 10-15% of the global population. Computationalmodels have been used to investigate the mechanisms underlyingthe generation of tinnitus-related activity. However, existingcomputational models have rarely benchmarked the modelledperception of a phantom sound against recorded data relating toa person’s perception of tinnitus characteristics; such as pitch orloudness. This paper details the development of two perceptualmodels of tinnitus. The models are validated using empiricaldata from people with tinnitus and the models’ performance is compared with existing perceptual models of tinnitus pitch. The first model extends existing perceptual models of tinnitus, while the second model utilises an entirely novel approach to modelling tinnitus perception using a Linear Mixed Effects (LME) model. The LME model is also used to model the perceived loudness of the phantom sound which has not been considered in previous models. The LME model creates an accurate model of tinnitus pitch and loudness and shows that both tinnitus-related activity and individual perception of sound are factors in the perception of the phantom sound that characterizes tinnitus.