Glutamatergic Projections to the Cochlear Nucleus are Redistributed in Tinnitus.

•VGLUT2 puncta density is upregulated in the cochlear nucleus ipsilateral to acoustic trauma.•VGLUT1 puncta density is downregulated in the cochlear nucleus contralateral to acoustic trauma.•Tinnitus does not correlate with measures of cochlear dysfunction or histopathology.•VGLUT asymmetries are abolished upon auditory–somatosensory bimodal stimulation treatment that reversed behavioral tinnitus.•Tinnitus-associated glutamatergic redistribution is likely the result of maladaptive somatosensory compensation.