The team focused on an area of the brain that is home to an important auditory center called the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN). From previous research in a mouse model, they knew that tinnitus is associated with hyperactivity of DCN cells — they fire impulses even when there is no actual sound to perceive. For the new experiments, they took a close look at the biophysical properties of tiny channels, called KCNQ channels, through which potassium ions travel in and out of the cell.
“We found that mice with tinnitus have hyperactive DCN cells because of a reduction in KCNQ potassium channel activity,” Dr. Tzounopoulos said. “These KCNQ channels act as effective “brakes” that reduce excitability or activity of neuronal cells.”
Category Archives: tinnitus research
Tinnitus Therapy: New Results Point To A Possible Cure | Hearing …
Nerve Stimulation Technique Alleviates Tinnitus Symptoms in Preliminary Testing
Aug. 9, 2010 – The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have granted a UT Dallas researcher and a University-affiliated biomedical firm $1.7 million to investigate whether nerve stimulation offers a long-term cure for tinnitus.
Described as a ringing in the ears, tinnitus affects 20 percent to 40 percent of recently returned military veterans and about 10 percent of all people over 65 years old. The U.S. Veterans Administration spends about $1 billion a year in disability payments related to tinnitus, said Dr. Michael Kilgard, associate professor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. The disorder causes mild irritation for some people but is disabling and painful for many others.
Kilgard will use his portion of the grant, $448,000 over two years, to continue testing whether vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) can retrain the brain to ignore the nerve signals that simulate ringing. The researchers in earlier tests found that VNS stimulation, when paired with the presentation of alternative tones, appeared to reverse the effects of tinnitus.
“We’re glad to get an opportunity to further our research on tinnitus,” Kilgard said. “This grant will support advances in our understanding of VNS treatment, and it will move the technological development forward so we can better deliver that therapy to patients.”
The researchers plan to change the pattern for stimulation, increasing the frequency to see if more intensive therapy might reverse the effects of tinnitus faster. The primary aim of the new research is to accumulate enough data to design clinical trials using VNS to treat tinnitus in human subjects in the United States.
VNS previously translated successfully to humans for the treatment of epilepsy, depression and other neurological disorders.
The new grant resulted from the NIH’s partnership with the federal government’s Small Business Innovation Research program (SBIR). Part of the grant will go to Kilgard and his work in the lab, and the other portion will further research by MicroTransponder, a biomedical start-up company that works in conjunction with UT Dallas researchers and has helped bring in more than $6 million in grants in the past two years.
MicroTransponder is attempting to develop a less invasive method for delivering the electric charge that stimulates the vagus nerve in the neck. Currently, Kilgard uses wires attached to the neck to stimulate the nerve. The goal is to create a remotely controlled device similar to the technology used for toll tags on highways, Kilgard said.
Will Rosellini, a PhD student in neuroscience at UT Dallas, is CEO of MicroTransponder. Dr. Larry Cauller, associate professor of neuroscience, developed the neural interface technology that led to MicroTransponder. He is the company’s chief science officer.
“For medical devices, the ultimate goal is to have the least invasive procedure possible, but this is usually accomplished in an iterative fashion, with each new version being less invasive than the past,” Rosellini said. “The eventual goal is to have our SAINT System be injectable via a needle, but there are several intermediary versions of the device that must be developed and thoroughly tested before that will be possible.”
Rosellini said Dr. Roger Miller, a scientific program director at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, has been a champion of MicroTransponder’s efforts to use VNS to combat tinnitus. Kilgard said Miller has been “extremely helpful in advancing the new therapy closer to a clinical reality.”
The VNS treatment would be an improvement over current therapies involving medications or counseling because it offers a possible permanent end to the condition, an actual cure instead of just a treatment, Kilgard said. Current therapies have limited success and frequently must be modified over time because they cease to be effective.
MicroTransponder and Kilgard now are working with researchers in Belgium to set up a protocol for conducting the first round of tests in humans. Less than half of therapies that are successful in animals prove successful when tested on people, Kilgard said.
“We want to find out as much as we can about how well this works in rats. That is what this phase of the research is about,” he said. “Once we have that additional data, we can try out a similar therapy on humans, and we hope to find this offers a permanent end to their tinnitus discomfort.”
Dr. Bert Moore, dean of the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, said UT Dallas’ relationship with MicroTransponder continues to yield results.
“The story behind this research is a wonderful example of how investigators such as Drs. Cauller and Kilgard, exploring basic mechanisms of how the brain adapts and learns, can collaborate with corporate partners to develop new technologies to address a variety of human problems,” he said. “This is the goal of our research mission at UT Dallas, creating new knowledge so that we can impact and improve people’s lives.”
Taken from www.utdallas.edu/news/.
Article source: http://www.healthyhearing.com/content/news/Tinnitus/Treatments/47566-Therapy-tinnitus-retraining
Causes of noise-induced tinnitus and drug that can prevent it …
An epilepsy drug shows promise in an animal model at preventing tinnitus from developing after exposure to loud noise, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings, reported this week in the early online version of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveal for the first time the reason the chronic and sometimes debilitating condition occurs.
An estimated 5 to 15 percent of Americans hear whistling, clicking, roaring and other phantom sounds of tinnitus, which typically is induced by exposure to very loud noise, said senior investigator Thanos Tzounopoulos, Ph.D., associate professor and member of the auditory research group in the Department of Otolaryngology, Pitt School of Medicine.
“There is no cure for it, and current therapies such as hearing aids don’t provide relief for many patients,” he said. “We hope that by identifying the underlying cause, we can develop effective interventions.”
The team focused on an area of the brain that is home to an important auditory center called the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN). From previous research in a mouse model, they knew that tinnitus is associated with hyperactivity of DCN cells — they fire impulses even when there is no actual sound to perceive. For the new experiments, they took a close look at the biophysical properties of tiny channels, called KCNQ channels, through which potassium ions travel in and out of the cell.
“We found that mice with tinnitus have hyperactive DCN cells because of a reduction in KCNQ potassium channel activity,” Dr. Tzounopoulos said. “These KCNQ channels act as effective “brakes” that reduce excitability or activity of neuronal cells.”
In the model, sedated mice are exposed in one ear to a 116-decibel sound, about the loudness of an ambulance siren, for 45 minutes, which was shown in previous work to lead to the development of tinnitus in 50 percent of exposed mice. Dr. Tzounopoulos and his team tested whether an FDA-approved epilepsy drug called retigabine, which specifically enhances KCNQ channel activity, could prevent the development of tinnitus. Thirty minutes into the noise exposure and twice daily for the next five days, half of the exposed group was given injections of retigabine.
Seven days after noise exposure, the team determined whether the mice had developed tinnitus by conducting startle experiments, in which a continuous, 70 dB tone is played for a period, then stopped briefly and then resumed before being interrupted with a much louder pulse. Mice with normal hearing perceive the gap in sounds and are aware something had changed, so they are less startled by the loud pulse than mice with tinnitus, which hear phantom noise that masks the moment of silence in between the background tones.
The researchers found that mice that were treated with retigabine immediately after noise exposure did not develop tinnitus. Consistent with previous studies, 50 percent of noise-exposed mice that were not treated with the drug exhibited behavioral signs of the condition.
“This is an important finding that links the biophysical properties of a potassium channel with the perception of a phantom sound,” Dr. Tzounopoulos said. “Tinnitus is a channelopathy, and these KCNQ channels represent a novel target for developing drugs that block the induction of tinnitus in humans.”
The KCNQ family is comprised of five different subunits, four of which are sensitive to retigabine. He and his collaborators aim to develop a drug that is specific for the two KCNQ subunits involved in tinnitus to minimize the potential for side effects.
“Such a medication could be a very helpful preventive strategy for soldiers and other people who work in situations where exposure to very loud noise is likely,” Dr. Tzounopoulos said. “It might also be useful for other conditions of phantom perceptions, such as pain in a limb that has been amputated.”
Tinnitus?!! Any magic Potions! – David Icke's Official Forums
Don’t just put it straight down to tinnitus!!
That’s the easy way out to find answers.
I will not tell you the sound frequency I’m hearing yet ……. but please do the test go to this side & tell me the sound frequency you hearing.
Turn up your sound to max & make it match to the sound you hearing.
One thing I will say the sound I’m hearing on and off is not coming in through my ears; its inside the head like a constant stable sound.
Shaking the head will not influence it.
Holding my ears shut changes nothing. Going out side or inside the place makes no difference.
I had it three days ago loud as ever then just gone like someone switched it just off.
So far I had three confirmations that others hearing the exact same thing & frequency on different places on the Globe.
One final Question; would you consider yourself to be a active philosophical Spiritual active thinker …….. or not?
Here you can test it out. ……. Let me know maybe you lucky & its just tinnitus without any mystery left to be solved?
http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2009/03/can-you-hear-this-hearing-test/
Solid Advice For People Suffering With Tinnitus – Curing Tinnitus
Anything that may affect hearing is no small thing, and tinnitus is something that causes many people concern. If you are one of the many people suffering from tinnitus or suspect that you might have this condition, the tips in this article will help you learn more about this condition and how you can deal with it.
Avoid any venue that has an extremely loud noise level. If you must expose yourself, use earplugs. One of the leading causes of tinnitus is being in extremely noisy environments. You may lessen your symptoms if you do not expose yourself further excessive sounds. This precaution can also help to prevent tinnitus attacks in current sufferers.
You should utilize earplugs when swimming, if you suffer from tinnitus. Water fills the ears as you swim, which can exacerbate the ringing sound. You might also need to use ear plugs in the shower to prevent symptoms from worsening.
A counselor may be able to help you stop behavior that aggravates your tinnitus. Changing your focus from constant worry about your symptoms is the aim. Talk therapy can help you deal with negative emotions, including anger, that often go with tinnitus. When these issues are dealt with, you can deal with your condition in a healthier way. You will have a hard time being happy if tinnitus is allowed to control your life.
Get a physician to wash out your ears as a first step against tinnitus. Wax can make tinnitus worse, and cotton swabs can damage your ear drums.
You might want to give reflexology a try, because tinnitus patients have gotten some relief from their symptoms when they tried this. Make sure to find a professional who has some accreditation and offers you a list of references. Do research on their experience, and be sure to choose someone whom you can trust.
Stress can aggravate tinnitus, and keeping your life organized can reduce your stress. If your job is causing stress, find a new one! Spend time with those you love and occupy your additional free time with relaxing hobbies.
Take your stress into consideration in regards to your tinnitus. These events can be the cause or trigger for tinnitus flare-ups. Try not to rush through life and plan things in advance. Try a few deep relaxation techniques, and then incorporate the most effective ones into your daily life.
One possible cause of tinnitus, according to some studies, is simple inflammation. Because of this, you might find benefits in creating an anti-inflammatory diet plan. Examples of this are veggies and fruits. Healthy non-inflammatory oils such as those found in flaxseed and fish also work.
Tinnitus Symptoms
If you are feeling under stress with the issues your tinnitus is causing, try using meditation to relax. It is well known that meditation can help the body and mind relax. It teaches the brain to concentrate and to ignore distractions. These benefits of meditation may be the solution to help tinnitus sufferers sleep.
Visit your medical care practitioner. One of the first things you want to do when you start to seriously feel tinnitus symptoms is to go see a doctor to get a proper diagnosis. Your doctor is also a great resource for effective treatments to deal with tinnitus symptoms. Your doctor will also test your health to see if any underlying issues could be contributing to your tinnitus.
Now that you understand more about tinnitus, you can determine whether you in fact have it or not, and how to deal with it. Many doctors are unsure how to differentiate tinnitus from other medical conditions. Thus, you may have to research and use your own discernment about this condition.
New Research Aims to Ease Tinnitus | Hearing Aid News
A treatment program will use neuromodulators to “prime” people’s brains to be more responsive to training that may reduce their perception of tinnitus – a sensation of noise in the ears that has no external cause. “We’re trying to provide the means for the auditory system to ignore tinnitus,” explains lead researcher Dr Grant Searchfield, Head of Audiology at the University of Auckland.
“When people experience tinnitus they become attuned to hearing it in preference to other auditory stimuli – it’s a magnet for attention. To break the cycle they need to be trained to attend to other things.”
The trial will use people’s sense of vision and touch to achieve this.
“In the past it was assumed that tinnitus was primarily an auditory phenomenon, but it has become clear that tinnitus is caused by a much more distributed network within the brain that can be influenced by a number of senses,” said Dr Searchfield. “We know that the senses can work for or against each other. For instance if a tactile (touch) stimulus is paired with an auditory stimulus it can make the perceived sound stronger, whereas if they don’t match up then the perceived sound is weaker. Visual stimuli can also trick us into hearing sounds that aren’t there.”
Participants will use computer-based training developed at the university that uses visual and touch feedback to train the brain to ignore tinnitus. A sound-only version of the training has already been shown to produce significant improvements in tinnitus within one month, a much shorter period than the 12 to 18 months required for standard treatments
To further boost the effect, neuromodulatory drugs will be used to make people’s brains more responsive to training.
“It’s analogous to using performance enhancing drugs in athletics,” said Dr Searchfield. “Doing the training can reduce tinnitus but if you use these medications then the training may be more effective or you could get to the end result faster.”
The study builds on previous work at the Centre for Brain Research on how to prime the brain to be more responsive to rehabilitation for stroke or lazy eye. It is a multidisciplinary project involving experts in audiology, medicine, behavioral medicine, pharmacology, vision science, and sport and exercise science.
“We are extremely grateful for the generous philanthropy that supports our world-class researchers. I am confident that the tinnitus research project will eventually improve the lives of those who currently suffer this annoying hearing problem,” said Professor John Fraser, Dean of the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at The University of Auckland.
Around 20 percent of people experience tinnitus that annoys them and one to two percent have clinically significant tinnitus.
Article source: http://www.healthyhearing.com/content/news/Tinnitus/Treatments/50593-New-research-aims-to-ease-tinnitus
Sudden Onset Tinnitus @ Jan L Mayes
When I watched the Boston bombings footage on television, I couldn’t help thinking about all the people who may have had tinnitus or ear noises start after the blast. The concussive force of the bombs was obvious, even knocking one racer off his feet. Tinnitus and muffled hearing is really common after explosions. But the media doesn’t usually include tinnitus when it reports on injuries.
This type of tinnitus is usually temporary. Often the tinnitus will go away within seconds. But it is also common for the tinnitus to take longer to settle. Research suggests that the difference may depend on how much attention the person pays to the new sound.
That is especially true for tinnitus. Ignoring it or pushing it to the back of the mind is the best approach. Listening to it, comparing how it sounds from day to day or constantly thinking about the sound can make the tinnitus last longer.
Some research suggests that listening to comfortably loud sound after a high noise exposure is good therapy for the ears. It doesn’t seem to matter what type of sound (e.g. music, TV, environmental sound, fan, etc.). As long as the person doesn’t start to avoid listening to regular everyday sounds which can also make tinnitus more long lasting. Avoid silence!
There are definitely strategies that can help people with sudden onset tinnitus – especially people who find it hard to stop focusing on their tinnitus. A visit to an audiologist is recommended. Audiologists should have information about tinnitus and tinnitus management including various coping ideas. For more severe cases, sometimes group or one-to-one therapy is needed. Current scientific evidence-based therapies include Progressive Tinnitus Management, Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, Neuromonics, etc. Tinnitus associations also have good information and resources (e.g. American Tinnitus Association).
Just to summarize, if a person has sudden onset tinnitus after being too close to an explosion or bomb blast, chances are it will settle down on its own. Just like a bruise eventually heals with time. If the tinnitus doesn’t settle, there are definitely options available to help people cope.
http://www.pluralpublishing.com/publication_hmyt.htm
Norena, A.J. & Eggermont, J.J. (2005). Enriched acoustic environment after noise trauma reduces hearing loss and prevents cortical map reorganization. Journal of Neuroscience, 19, 25(3), 699-705.
©Jan L. Mayes 2013
A Salute to Silence: National Tinnitus Awareness Week is May 19 …
PORTLAND, Ore., April 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The American Tinnitus Association (ATA) announced today that National Tinnitus Awareness Week (TAW) will be celebrated May 19 – 25, 2013. This year, ATA is saluting members of the United States military and all our veterans who have selflessly served, because they suffer from tinnitus disproportionately from the rest of the civilian population. For the past five years, tinnitus has been the number one service-connected disability for veterans from all periods of service and is particularly prevalent in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) over 840,000 veterans currently receive disability compensation for tinnitus alone.
“While ATA is increasingly encouraged by the growing interest in and pace of tinnitus research, there are still hundreds of millions of people worldwide who suffer with this condition on a daily basis,” said Mark K. Johnson , J.D., Chair of ATA’s Board of Directors. “ATA’s mission is to silence tinnitus by funding research, and we can only accomplish this with increased awareness of tinnitus and how it can interfere with and reduce a person’s quality of life,” he said.
According to the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Hearing Center of Excellence, economic loss to an individual who has tinnitus can be up to $30,000 annually and up to $26,000,000 to society as a whole. In addition, when quantified, the cost to the VA for tinnitus disability compensation is $1.28 billion annually, a figure that is expected to grow to $2.75 billion annually by 2016 at the current rate of increase.
Because tinnitus is so prevalent in the military, on May 22, 2013, the Friends of the Congressional Hearing Health Caucus, in concert with the Military and Veterans Caucus and the Invisible Wounds Caucus, will hold a lunch briefing on tinnitus as it pertains to the military and veterans. Representatives from the VA and the DoD’s Hearing Center of Excellence have been invited to give remarks and ATA Board and staff will also be present.
Tinnitus is the perception of sound where no external source is present and is commonly referred to as “ringing in the ears.” Tinnitus is most commonly caused by exposure to loud noise and the second leading cause is head and/or neck injury. According to data analyzed from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 50 million people in the United States experience tinnitus and of those, 16 million suffer from chronic intrusive tinnitus and have sought medical attention for it.
ATA has developed a TAW 2013 resource center on their website at ATA.org/TAW2013 . Whether you’d like to request proclamations from locally and nationally elected officials, contact your local media outlets, or share an activities calendar and tinnitus-related crosswords and posters, ATA has all the materials you will need to get started in raising tinnitus awareness.
About the American Tinnitus Association
The American Tinnitus Association, headquartered in Portland, Ore., is the nation’s foremost organization committed to curing tinnitus. For over 40 years, ATA has helped tinnitus patients understand and manage the “ringing in their ears.” ATA exists to cure tinnitus through the development of resources that advance tinnitus research. Founded in 1971, ATA has contributed millions of dollars to medical research projects focused on curing tinnitus. The association also provides information on tinnitus to the public and advocates for effective public policies that support its mission of curing tinnitus. ATA.org.
SOURCE American Tinnitus Association
Dr. Grossan's Blog – Tinnitus Therapy using Transcranial Magnetic …
Not everyone responds to standard tinnitus therapy. For those who do not, a new form of therapy is available that is helping patients. It is the use of magnetic pulses over areas of the brain involved in tinnitus.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive, and relatively painless form of Brain Stimulation used to treat patients whose conditions have not improved through conventional approaches. This type of stimulation was discovered in 1985, with research conducted worldwide on treatments for numerous brain illnesses including depression and tinnitus.
What is done:
During the TMS procedure, a magnetic coil is placed over the patient’s head, which delivers a pulsed magnetic field to precisely targeted brain areas. By activating or inhibiting specific areas of the brain, TMS can heal brain function over time. After a full course of treatment, patients notice a significant reduction in symptoms that often continues after the end of the treatment course.
Common side effects, which are minimal, may include mild scalp irritation and headache. These usually subside within a week of starting treatment. With TMS there is no anesthesia involved and no memory side effects. In fact, there is usually some degree of cognitive enhancement associated with the procedure. After a TMS treatment, patients continue their normal daily activities without difficulty.
FDA approved TMS to treat major depression in 2008. More applications are being reported including use in a wide range of brain disorders including generalized anxiety, chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, tinnitus and others.
Tinnitus causes a person to perceive continuous phantom sounds. Often the loudness and consistency of tinnitus can be debilitating. Not a psychological condition in itself, tinnitus can worsen when sufferers are in a stressful situation, and depression often follows tinnitus as patients become hopeless of alleviating their condition.
A complete tinnitus evaluation to rule out specific causes is done before TMS.
Several recent peer-reviewed research studies have found TMS to be beneficial in reducing tinnitus symptoms. In the 2008 study Combined temporal and prefrontal transcranial magnetic stimulation for tinnitus treatment: A pilot study by Kleinjung et. at. it was found at 3 month follow-up that a remarkable benefit persisted from the use of combined prefrontal and temporal rTMS treatment. In the 2012 paper Effectiveness of Theta-Burst Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Treating Chronic Tinnitus by Chung et. al. theta-burst TMS, another form of non-invasive stimulation was explored as a method of modulating tinnitus. In this study, 75% of subjects receiving active stimulation reported suppression of their tinnitus following theta-burst TMS. The 2012 study by Lehner, et. al, Multisite rTMS for the Treatment of Chronic Tinnitus: Stimulation of the Cortical Tinnitus Network—A Pilot Study further supports the initial findings of the above mentioned Kleinjung study.
Dr William F Stubbelman is performing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation at his clinic in Los Angeles. In addition to the regular TMS equipment, he has developed recording and enhancing devices that enable a precise treatment. He has found that the treatment needs to be for reducing activity on one hand, and enhancing brain function on the other hand.
Of interest is that after each treatment there is a period of brain enhancement (cognitive enhancement). This gives Dr Stubbeman an opportunity to reinforce the therapy with therapeutic inputs.
Dr. William Stubbeman will be speaking at this month’s American Tinnitus Association’s Orange County Tinnitus Support Group Meeting. It will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2013 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. at the Mariposa Women and Family Center at
812 W. Town and Country Rd. Orange, CA 92868
For more information visit:
www.Drstubbeman.com
http://www.ata.org/node/1528
His office is at 11800W. Olympic Blvd. Suite 441
Los Angeles, Ca 90064 Phone 310 386 3955
References
Chung,H.K., Tsai,C.H., Lin,Y.C., Chen, J.M.,Tsou,Y.A., Wang,C.Y., Lin, C.D., Jeng,F.C., Chung,J.G., and Tsai,M.H. (2011). Effectiveness of theta-burst repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for treating chronic tinnitus. Audiol.Neurootol. 17, 112–120.
Kleinjung,T.,Eichhammer, P., Landgrebe,M., Sand,P., Hajak,G., Steffens, T., Strutz,J., and Langguth, B. (2008).Combined temporal and prefrontal transcranial magnetic stimulation for tinnitus treatment: a pilot study. Otolaryngol. HeadNeck Surg. 138, 497–501.
Lehner, A., Schecklmann, M., Poeppl, T.B., Kreuzer, P.M., Vielsmeier, V., Rupprecht, R, Landgrebe, M, Langguth, B. (2012). Multisite rTMS for the Treatment of Chronic Tinnitus: Stimulation of the Cortical Tinnitus Network—A Pilot Study. Brain Topogr. 2012 Dec 11. [Epub ahead of print]
Question About Tinnitus. – (VA Claims Research) Veterans Affairs …
I’m still active duty with a discharge date coming up in the near future. To get my tinnitus documented in my records do I just need to make an appointment with my PCM about it? I plan to file it as a secondary to mental disorder.
I have tinnitus and I also have migraines due to my mental disorder. I’m not sure if I can make tinnitus my secondary if i have migraines as my secondary. can I have 2 secondaries?
I’ve told mental health about the ringing ears and migraines. How do I make sure this stuff has been documented? Do I need to tell my PCM?
Under what medical rationale do you feel that your Tinnitus and Migraines, are secondary
to your “mental disorder” ?
Is your “mental disorder” currently diagnosed and being treated while you are still on active duty ?
If yes, what is your “mental disorder” diagnosis ?
Are you RX’d medications for your “mental disorder” ?
If yes, what medications ?
If yes, are side effects noted (with use of these medications) to possibly cause Tinnitus and/or Migraines ?