applications of auditory evoked potentials in tinnitus: a review

Background and aim: subjective tinnitus is a phantom auditory perception caused by different factors and affects the patient’s quality of life. the tinnitus pathophysiology is not fully unders­tood; therefore, there is no effective treatment for tinnitus. along with other methods, auditory evoked potentials (aeps) may be helpful in understanding this condition and the involved struc­tures. this study aimed to review the applications of aeps in tinnitus studies. recent findings: the studies investigating tinnitus were categorized into three groups of tinnitus pathophysiology, pre- or post-treatment/intervention evaluation of tinnitus, and objective diagnosis of tinnitus. contradictory and unrepeatable findings were observed in each group. conclusion: discrepancies in the results of aeps studies can be due to between-group and within-group differences, lack of proper matching in terms of tinnitus etiology and hearing loss, and difference in neurophysiologic models of tinnitus.