Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) has over 200 potential causes. Damage to nerve cells in the inner ear caused by loud noise exposure can lead to the onset of tinnitus. The nerve cells of the inner ear receive auditory information and send it along the auditory pathway to be interpreted by the brain. Repeated exposure to loud noise can damage the hair-like nerve cells and lead to hearing loss. Recent theories on the origin of tinnitus caused by hearing loss suggest that when the brain receives auditory stimuli that has missing frequencies, it attempts to generate those frequencies that are absent (frequencies that are not "heard" due to hearing loss). The sounds we hear as tinnitus are the result of the brain's attempt to generate the auditory information it is no longer receiving due to noise induced hearing loss.
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