A clinical study of tinnitus patients found promising results using a noninvasive therapy. We introduce a dynamical model to explore both the onset of tinnitus and the effects of coordinated reset therapy. Our model extends an existing theory of individual outer hair cell dynamics to include their mutual interaction, and considers how sustained activity can inhibit the natural recovery exhibited by normal (healthy) individuals. The model is investigated through numerical simulations and shows behavior broadly similar to that reported in the clinical study.

• Received 8 February 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.99.052403