Data from: Objective autonomic signatures of tinnitus and sound sensitivity disorders

Hypersensitivity, phantom percepts, and sensory reactivity are core
features of many neurological disorders. Direct, objective measurements of
these features have proven difficult to identify, leaving subjective
questionnaires as the primary means of assessing sensory disorder
severity. Here, we studied neurotypical adults (n = 50) or adults with a
combination of sound sensitivity and tinnitus (ringing of the ears; n =
47) and identified a new class of objective measurement that predicted
individual differences in the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and
Hyperacusis Questionnaire (HQ). A neurophysiological assessment of central
auditory gain demonstrated an elevation in participants with tinnitus and
sound sensitivity but no association with symptom severity. Instead,
accurate predictors of individual THI and HQ scores were identified in
pupil dilations and facial movements elicited by emotionally evocative
sounds. These findings highlight autonomic signatures of disrupted
affective sound processing in persons with tinnitus and sound sensitivity
disorders and introduce new approaches for their objective measurement.