United States: A new research study demonstrates that diagnosing tinnitus patients may become possible through observation of facial expressions associated with fight-or-flight responses, as reported by HealthDay.
Facial Movements Reveal Tinnitus Distress
The April 30 publication in Science Translational Medicine presented video evidence showing tinnitus patients demonstrated facial muscle movements and changes in pupil diameter after selected sound exposure.
The discovery marks the first occasion researchers have identified an objective indicator for diagnosing tinnitus in those who experience hearing loss.
Objective Measures Replace Subjective Surveys
“Imagine if cancer severity were determined by giving patients a questionnaire – this is the state of affairs for some common neurological disorders like tinnitus,” senior investigator Daniel Polley, director of Mass Eye and Ear’s Lauer Tinnitus Research Center in Boston, said in a news release.
“For the first time, we directly observed a signature of tinnitus severity,” Polley said. “When we began this study, we didn’t know if sounds would elicit facial movements; so, to discover that these movements not only occur but can provide the most informative measure to date of tinnitus distress is quite surprising.”
The medical name for ring-like ear noises is tinnitus, although other continuous phantom perceptions, such as buzzing or clicking, can exist, according to researchers.
Subtle facial gestures linked to the body’s fight-or-flight response could be used to help diagnose people with #tinnitus, a new study says. #publichealth #hearinghealth #hearingloss https://t.co/gqo10km47A
— HealthDay News (@HealthDayTweets) May 1, 2025
The noise-based condition known as tinnitus occurs in 12% of individuals along with 25% of adults aged 65 years and older. People generally cope with the annoyance of tinnitus yet 15% of tinnitus sufferers face conditions which interfere with their sleep quality and mental well-being and everyday activities according to researchers.
Research investigators assumed people with severe tinnitus experience ongoing fight-or-flight reactions that identify everyday noises as threatening stimuli.
How the Study Worked
The study included 47 participants who suffered from tinnitus in varying degrees as well as 50 people without tinnitus who formed the control group.
The participants watched videos while researchers played either positive musical selections or unpleasant or indistinct sounds to them. The individuals listened to unpleasant noises, including baby cries, yelling, or persistent coughing.
Research teams employed AI software to identify rapid involuntary facial movement known as twitches in facial areas such as cheeks as well as eyebrows and nostrils.
Participants who displayed facial twitches matched the distress levels of tinnitus symptoms documented in their questionnaire responses.
Research reports that severe tinnitus patients exhibited extreme pupil dilation during all listening conditions whether the sounds were pleasant or unpleasant. People who did not experience tinnitus or whose tinnitus was not bothersome reacted to extremely unpleasant sounds when their pupils underwent research testing.
When researchers measured facial twitches combined with pupil dilation, they achieved high accuracy rates in identifying people who experienced the most serious symptoms of tinnitus.
Low-Tech, High Impact Potential
“What’s really exciting is this vantage point into tinnitus severity didn’t require highly specialized brain scanners; instead, the approach was relatively low-tech,” Polley said. “If we can adapt this approach to consumer-grade electronics, they could be put to use in hearing health clinics, as objective measures in clinical trials and by the public at large.”
Research scientists use this test to find solutions that minimize the intensity of tinnitus-related auditory hallucinations, as reported by HealthDay.
“These biomarkers get to the root of the distress,” said Polley. “While imaging might show hyperactive brain regions in tinnitus patients, these biomarkers reveal body-wide threat evaluation systems that are operating outside of their normal range, leading to the distressful symptoms they experience.”