COVID-19 Causes Neural Network Remodeling That Can Result in Sudden Hearing Loss and Tinnitus
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jun 06, 2025 1 week, 5 days, 13 hours, 6 minutes ago
Medical News: A Silent Yet Alarming Effect of the Virus
A new study by scientists from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, and Seoul National University in South Korea has revealed a concerning link between COVID-19 and neurological changes in the brain that may lead to sudden hearing loss and chronic tinnitus. The team, which includes researchers from the Department of Otolaryngology at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, discovered that infection with SARS-CoV-2 may cause distinct remodeling of brain networks tied to auditory and emotional processing.
COVID-19 Causes Neural Network Remodeling That Can Result in Sudden Hearing Loss and Tinnitus
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) refers to rapid, unexplained hearing loss, often occurring alongside tinnitus—a persistent ringing or buzzing sound in the ears. While SSNHL has traditionally been linked to issues in the ear itself, this
Medical News report highlights a shift in understanding: COVID-19 may influence brain function in ways that directly contribute to these symptoms.
Disruptions in Brain Communication Networks
The researchers recruited 31 patients with COVID-related SSNHL (COV-SSNHL), 32 patients with non-viral SSNHL, and 32 healthy individuals. They used a high-resolution brainwave scanning technique known as resting-state EEG, combined with artificial intelligence via a graph attention network (GAT), to map how different parts of the brain communicated.
The study focused on three key networks: the auditory network (AN), responsible for processing sound; the default mode network (DMN), involved in rest and internal thoughts; and the salience network (SN), which helps prioritize important stimuli and emotional reactions. In COV-SSNHL patients, the researchers found significant disruptions in all three networks—especially in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), a key region responsible for attention and emotion regulation.
Compared to the control group, COVID-related patients had abnormal connectivity between the left parahippocampus and the auditory cortex, insula, and other areas critical for memory and attention. These changes were unique to the virus-infected group and were not seen in patients with hearing loss not linked to COVID-19.
How These Brain Changes Relate to Tinnitus
The study revealed that in COVID-infected patients, the severity of tinnitus was closely tied to how well certain brain regions communicated. Stronger abnormal connections between the dACC and areas like the auditory cortex and posterior cingulate cortex were directly linked to worse tinnitus symptoms. This suggests that in some cases, the virus may cause the brain to overreact to silence by generating phantom sounds.
Both SSNHL groups also had reduced connectivity between the insula and the posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus—regions known to manage emotional and self-referential processing. This implies that not only is sound perception af
fected, but emotional regulation and attention control are also disrupted, potentially explaining why tinnitus can feel distressing and hard to ignore.
Why COVID-19 May Trigger This Condition
SARS-CoV-2 is known to enter the brain by binding to ACE-2 receptors, which are found in areas like the temporal lobe and parahippocampus—regions also involved in hearing. The researchers theorize that once the virus enters these areas, it may spark a cascade of inflammation and damage that disrupts normal brain communication patterns.
What sets COV-SSNHL apart is that the neural remodeling appears more widespread and involves cross-talk between emotional, sensory, and default mode systems. The brain, in trying to compensate for lost auditory input, may end up creating a loop of overactivity that fuels tinnitus and makes it difficult for sufferers to tune it out.
New Avenues for Diagnosis and Treatment
The GAT model used in this study was highly accurate in classifying patients and pinpointing which brain circuits were most disrupted. This technology could one day be used to noninvasively diagnose virus-related hearing loss or tinnitus using simple EEG scans, potentially leading to earlier intervention.
The findings also open the door to potential therapies that target the specific brain networks involved, such as neuromodulation techniques like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or cognitive-behavioral interventions aimed at calming the brain’s response to phantom noise.
Conclusion
This study provides strong evidence that COVID-19 can cause significant remodeling of brain networks associated with hearing, emotion, and attention—leading to sudden hearing loss and tinnitus. The distinct patterns of neural disruption in virus-related SSNHL patients underline the need for greater awareness, early diagnosis, and tailored treatment. Understanding the role of the dACC and the salience network may pave the way for novel interventions that could reduce suffering in affected individuals. These insights not only deepen our grasp of post-viral complications but also emphasize the brain's central role in conditions once thought to be purely peripheral.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Computers in Biology and Medicine.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010482525008534
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Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/warning-sars-cov-2-infections-can-also-cause-sensorineural-hearing-loss-ssnhl
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/many-recently-waking-up-to-clogged-ears-and-ear-pain-months-after-getting-covid-19
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/neuritin-therapy-can-reverse-age-related-hearing-loss
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/coronavirus
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