Hyperacusis and hearing loss induce increased causal flow from auditory cortex to mesolimbic pathway after long-term dynamic functional remodeling

Hyperacusis is a common hearing disorder with reduced loudness perception tolerance and hypersensitivity to ordinary environmental sounds, often co-exist with hearing loss and tinnitus. Hyperacusis and hearing loss are often associated with accelerated cognition decline and affection disorders.This study aimed to utilize behavioral and fMRI techniques in combination with Granger causality analysis to investigate dynamic functional connectome remodeling in hyperacusis and hearing loss rat models which could be the neural mechanisms of cognition and emotion deficits .