Tinnitus:
Pathophysiology and Treatment

Berthold Langguth,
Göran Hajak,
Tobias Kleinjung,
Anthony T. Cacace, and
Aage R. Møller

lthough this medical book elaborating the views of leading researchers on tinnitus is somewhat overpriced, it is a valuable source of up-to-date information for physicians, neurologists, and researchers about the physiology and potential treatments of tinnitus. Of course, with fifty chapters written by different authors, there is some overlap in the subject matter. Some articles digress far from the topic. Others repeat themselves, suggesting they were written in a hurry. Many were written by non-English speakers and have nonsensical sentences, misspelled drug names, and paragraphs that contradict themselves. But what's important is that the book contains excellent information about the latest theories as of 2007. This is not a book for the average patient; a background in neurophysiology and neuroanatomy is required to understand this material.

Another book, Tinnitus: Theory and Management, edited by J. B. Snow (2004) is also excellent, but is out of print, and is generally readable by educated layman. Hopefully, BC Decker will produce a new edition. Chapter 9, "Somatic Tinnitus" by Robert A. Levine is available as a sample chapter on the Internet. Most practicing physicians are unaware of the information in these two excellent books. After reading them, it becomes clear that the situation for tinnitus sufferers is neither as bleak as your doctor would have you believe, nor as bright as some of the much lighter self-help books on the subject might imply. See http://brneurosci.org/tinnitus.html for more information about tinnitus.