Understanding how stress and arousal relate to tinnitus using eye and skin signals
Official title: Using sympathetic nervous system responses to evaluate distressing tinnitus: a pupillometry and skin conductance feasibility study.
Funded at James H Quillen VA Medical Center · NIH-11511699 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will test whether easy-to-measure signals like pupil size and skin conductance can reflect how distressing tinnitus feels in adults, especially Veterans.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | James H Quillen VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Mountain Home, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I21RX005157-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11511699 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with tinnitus, particularly Veterans, who experience distress from their symptoms.
✕Less likely to help
People whose tinnitus is not distressing or who cannot participate in physiological testing may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project looks at whether objective bodily signals can reveal when tinnitus is bothering someone beyond what they report. It will measure pupil changes and skin conductance as participants with tinnitus perform listening tasks, to see if distressing tinnitus drives more mental effort and arousal. The study design is cross-sectional and will focus on adults, including Veterans, to explore the connection between tinnitus distress and physiological responses. Findings could help develop objective tools to better understand and track tinnitus impact in real life settings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from objective measures that complement personal reports, potentially guiding treatment choices and monitoring.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has linked pupil dilation and skin conductance to listening effort and arousal, suggesting this approach could work for tinnitus distress.
Where this research is happening
-
James H Quillen VA Medical Center
Mountain Home, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Giuliani, Nicholas — James H Quillen VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Giuliani, Nicholas
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding why age-related hearing loss and tinnitus happen in diverse groups
A study aims to find genetic reasons behind age-related hearing loss and tinnitus in African ancestry and Latino populations.
-
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This grant tests a brain-imaging approach to identify objective brain signals in people with tinnitus, including those whose phantom sounds change with jaw or head movements.
-
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Understanding age-related hearing loss and tinnitus in diverse communities
This project looks for genetic changes linked to age-related hearing loss and ringing in the ears using large whole-genome datasets, focusing especially on people of African and Latino backgrounds.
-
Diagnosing and treating tinnitus linked to head, neck, or jaw problems
This project develops a screening test and a physical-therapy treatment for people—especially Veterans—whose tinnitus changes with head, neck, jaw, or eye movements.
-
Notched Noise Therapy for Tinnitus Relief
This project explores a special sound therapy called Notched Noise Therapy to help Veterans who experience ringing in their ears, also known as tinnitus.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.