Study shows promising treatment for tinnitus
An innovative treatment device tackles the hissing sound of silence

Date:
June 5, 2023
Source:
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan
Summary:
A double-blind randomized clinical trial of a device aimed at
silencing the phantom sounds of tinnitus has yielded promising
results.


Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email

==========================================================================
FULL STORY ========================================================================== Tinnitus, the ringing, buzzing or hissing sound of silence, varies
from slightly annoying in some to utterly debilitating in others. Up
to 15% of adults in the United States have tinnitus, where nearly 40%
of sufferers have the condition chronically and actively seek relief.

A recent study from researchers at the University of Michigan's Kresge
Hearing Research Institute suggests relief may be possible.

Susan Shore, Ph.D., Professor Emerita in Michigan Medicine's Department
of Otolaryngology and U-M's Departments of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, led research on how the brain processes bi-sensory
information, and how these processes can be harnessed for personalized stimulation to treat tinnitus.

Her team's findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

The study, a double-blind, randomized clinical trial, recruited 99
individuals with somatic tinnitus, a form of the condition in which
movements such as clenching the jaw, or applying pressure to the forehead, result in a noticeable change in pitch or loudness of experienced
sounds. Nearly 70% of tinnitus sufferers have the somatic form.

According to Shore, candidates with bothersome, somatic tinnitus, as
well as normal-to-moderate hearing loss, were eligible to participate.

"After enrollment, participants received a portable device developed and manufactured by in2being, LLC, for in-home use," she said. "The devices
were programmed to present each participant's personal tinnitus spectrum,
which was combined with electrical stimulation to form a bi-sensory
stimulus, while maintaining participant and study team blinding."
Study participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The first
group received bi-sensory, or active, treatment first, while the second received sound-alone, or control, treatment.

For the first six weeks, participants were instructed to use their
devices for 30 minutes each day. The next six weeks gave participants
a break from daily use, followed by six more weeks of the treatment not received in the beginning of the study.

Shore notes that every week, participants completed the Tinnitus
Functional Index, or TFI, and Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, or THI, which
are questionnaires that measure the impact tinnitus has on individuals'
lives.

Participants also had their tinnitus loudness assessed during this time.

The team found that when participants received the bi-sensory treatment,
they consistently reported improved quality of life, lower handicap
scores and significant reductions in tinnitus loudness. However, these
effects were not seen when receiving sound-only stimulation.

Further, more than 60% of participants reported significantly reduced
tinnitus symptoms after the six weeks of active treatment, but not
control treatment.

This is consistent with an earlier study by Shore's team, which showed
that the longer participants received active treatment, the greater the reduction in their tinnitus symptoms.

"This study paves the way for the use of personalized, bi-sensory
stimulation as an effective treatment for tinnitus, providing hope for
millions of tinnitus sufferers," said Shore.

Auricle Inc., the exclusive licensee of the patents related to the
bi-sensory stimulation, was launched with the help of Innovation
Partnerships, the central hub of research commercialization activity at
the University of Michigan.

Auricle will work towards gaining regulatory clearance and then
commercializing Shore's novel bi-sensory tinnitus treatment.

* RELATED_TOPICS
o Health_&_Medicine
# Hearing_Loss # Hypertension # Personalized_Medicine #
Mental_Health_Research
o Mind_&_Brain
# Tinnitus # Hearing_Impairment # Perception # Depression
* RELATED_TERMS
o Tinnitus o Phantom_limb o Double_blind o Visual_acuity
o Unsaturated_fat o Evidence-based_medicine o Guide_dog
o Stuttering

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
Michigan_Medicine_-_University_of_Michigan. Original written by Jina
Sawani. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Gerilyn R. Jones, David T. Martel, Travis L. Riffle, Josh Errickson,
Jacqueline R. Souter, Gregory J. Basura, Emily Stucken, Kara
C. Schvartz- Leyzac, Susan E. Shore. Reversing Synchronized Brain
Circuits Using Targeted Auditory-Somatosensory Stimulation to
Treat Phantom Percepts.

JAMA Network Open, 2023; 6 (6): e2315914 DOI: 10.1001/
jamanetworkopen.2023.15914 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230605181219.htm

--- up 1 year, 14 weeks, 10 hours, 51 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)