New treatment for tinnitus is possible, study finds

June 7, 2023 — Tinnitus sufferers may find relief with a new type of treatment, according to a new study.

Tinnitus is the sensation of hearing ringing, buzzing, hissing, chirping, hissing or other sounds. About 15% of Americans have tinnitus, the University of Michigan’s Kresge Hearing Research Institute said in a Press release about the study.

Understanding how the brain processes information from multiple senses, not just hearing, can help scientists come up with personalized treatments for tinnitus, the statement said.

Researchers studied 99 people with somatic tinnitus, a form of condition in which things like clenching the jaw or applying pressure to the forehead cause a noticeable change in the pitch or loudness of sounds experienced. About 70% of people with tinnitus have this form.

Study participants were given a wearable device at home that could do two things: send short audio pulses that replicated the sound of each person’s tinnitus to varying degrees, used to lessen the effects of tinnitus in the ear, combined with electrical stimulation provided by electrodes attached near the temple or on the spine.

One group received the bi-sensory treatment for 30 minutes a day for 6 weeks, followed by a 6-week break from the treatment, and then 6 weeks of hearing-only treatment. The other group started with the auditory processing alone, followed by the pause and then the bi-sensory processing. People who participated in the research answered weekly questions about the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) and the Tinnitus Disability Inventory (THI). The TFI and THI use patient self-report to measure the severity of tinnitus and find the difficulties it causes.

The study was published earlier this month in JAMA Open Network.

The university research team found that study participants in both groups who received bi-sensory treatment reported a decrease in the intensity of their tinnitus, as well as an overall better quality of life. Those who received sound-only treatment did not report such positive results.

“This study paves the way for the use of personalized bi-sensory stimulation as an effective treatment for tinnitus, giving hope to millions of tinnitus sufferers,” said Susan Shore, PhD, of the institute. research, in the press release.