Although
hearing aids (HAs) are sometimes efficacious in abating
tinnitus, the precise mechanism underlying their effect is unclear and predictors of symptom improvement have not been determined. Here, we examined the correlation between the amount of
tinnitus improvement and pre-HA quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) findings to investigate cortical predictors of improvement after wearing HAs. QEEG data of thirty-three patients with debilitating
tinnitus were retrospectively correlated with the percentage improvements in
tinnitus handicap inventory and the numerical rating scale scores of
tinnitus. Activation of brain areas involved in the default mode network (DMN; inferior parietal lobule, parahippocampus, and posterior cingulate cortex) were found to be a negative predictor of improvement in
tinnitus-related distress after wearing HAs. In addition, higher pre-HA cortical power at the medial auditory processing system or higher functional connectivity of the lateral/medial auditory pathway to the DMN was found to serve as a positive prognostic
indicator with regard to improvement of
tinnitus-related distress. In addition, insufficient activity of the pre-treatment noise canceling system tended to be a negative predictor of
tinnitus perception improvement after wearing HAs. The current study may serve as a milestone toward a pre-HAs prediction strategy for
tinnitus improvements in subjects with
hearing loss and severe
tinnitus.