Animals can be conditioned to respond to tones or noises. In any such test, if they have tinnitus they will respond to this as if they had heard an external sound.

I had a long experience of testing the pure tone thresholds of children with developmental problems. It was common and frustrating be confronted with a large number of false alarms, and it took me years of experience before I was able to deduce that these were actual true responses to their unrecognized tinnitus.

Animal models of tinnitus can also be used to measure auditory hallucinations, though I do not think anyone has yet realized this.

Anthony, Sir! I salute your skills and methodology, both in animals and children. I think you have achieved the impossible - getting animals to respond to tinnitus. Respect!

I have a lot of very unconventional views with respect to otology and audiology which will upset audiologists and otologists. However, it is news to me that (other people's) animal models of tinnitus are controversial.

Please elucidate.

"you have achieved the impossible - getting animals to respond to tinnitus"

I assume this is meant sarcastically, so consider the following situation. A gundog with extensive exposure to gunfire is likely to have noise-induced hearing loss, and, from all we know about cochlear physiology, (high-pitched) tinnitus. If this is of new and sudden onset (ie before it can be habituated), the dog is surely likely to think its master is whistling to attract its attention, and it behaves accordingly.

Andrew, You are too hasty in your mistaken assumption. There was nothing sarcastic in my thoughts or words. Compliments from me are not easy to come by, take them when they are given. Jonathan