Cutaneous-evoked tinnitus - II. Review of neuroanatomical, physiological and functional imaging studies

Cutaneous-evoked tinnitus is a clinical entity that has not been reported p reviously in the neurootological literature. Herein, a neuroscience framewo rk that encompasses several distinct areas of research is used to conceptua lize and help understand this phenomenon. We review normal neuroanatomical and physiological interactions between auditory and somatosensory systems i n mammals. Also considered are mechanistic accounts of lesion-induced chang es in the CNS following deafferentation/deefferentation of peripheral senso ry or motor structures that may have a relationship to th is phenomenon, as well as the role of functional imaging modalities in studying various phan tom perceptions.