Tinnitus research news

Click on the articles and features below to read about the latest in tinnitus research as well as information and announcements relating to the tinnitus community. (Note: clicking on the links below will take you to Web sites not maintained or endorsed by the American Tinnitus Association.)

2009

Hearing Aids as A Tinnitus Treatment 1/09

A survey of 230 hearing care professionals suggests that six out of 10 patients (60%) experience minor to major relief of tinnitus when wearing hearing aids, and a total of one in five (22%) receive major relief. Less than 2% of patients experience a worsening of their tinnitus when wearing hearing aids, while 39% receive no benefit. To read the full text of the study and results please click here.

Surgeons Attempt To Restore Hearing To Patient With Rare Tumor 1/8/09

Physicians at the University of Illinois Medical Center performed a rare surgery in December to restore hearing to a deaf patient diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2)- a rare genetic condition that causes tumors to grow on nerves in the brain or spinal cord, but most commonly on the auditory nerve.

2008

MRIs May Damage Cochlear Implants 12/29/08

Researchers at the Medical University of Hannover, Germany tested the effects of MRI machines on cochlear implants. Certain MRI machines may demagnetize the magnets used in cochlear implants to couple external and implanted components. MRIs exert strong magnetic fields that may induce voltages or temperatures that could damage the implant or harm the patient. 

Tinnitus Treatment and the Effectiveness of Hearing Aids
(December 2008 Hearing Review)

Sergei Kochkin, Ph.D., and Richard Tyler, Ph.D., report on the effectiveness of hearing aids on patients with tinnitus. Utilizing a survey of 230 hearing health care professionals, the study states that 60% of patients are reported to receive some benefit  from hearing aids.

Study: Titanium Golf Clubs May Harm Hearing 12/17/08

New titanium golf clubs may make the ball travel farther, but they may also damaging one's hearing. Research published in the British Medical Journal, pitted six brands of titanium clubs against thicker-faced and older stainless steel models, found that the former produced greater sound levels.

Low-frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Study 12/14/08

A study conducted at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has shown potential to markedly improve tinnitus. TMS has previously shown short-term effectiveness in European studies. The UAMS team was the first to introduce TMS as a maintenance therapy in which patients receive an initial course of treatment and follow-ups as symptoms persist.

Psychological Treatment and Neurostimulation Offer Hope 11/24/08

A study involving 265 tinnitus patients conducted by Hilke Bartels, Ph.D., of the University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands, looked into whether psychological treatment and neurostimulation would have a positive effect of reducing tinnitus symptoms. 94 of the 265 patients were identified as having a ‘type D personality’.

2008 Noisy Toys List Released 11/17/08

The Sight & Hearing Association released its annual noisy toys list. 14 of the 18 toys tested pose hearing risk in 15 minutes. All toys tested by the nonprofit organization and researchers at the University of Minnesota reached an unsafe 90 dB.

Personality and Perception of Tinnitus 10/6/08

Researchers at the Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, are studying the role of personality in the perception of tinnitus in the general population. They utilized the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire to measure the level of tinnitus-related distress in 970 individuals, with the goal of tailoring specific tinnitus treatment therapies to sufferers with varying levels of awareness.

New October Initiatives 10/2/08

"Hearing loss affects more than 36 million Americans, and while hearing problems are often associated with the normal aging process, more than half of all hearing-impaired people are younger than 65. With the increased use of personal music players (MP3 players) and ear buds, the number of Americans experiencing hearing loss at a younger age is growing, and hearing loss ranks as the third most common US health problem."
American Academy of Audiology Raises Profile of Hearing Loss," an article printed in Hearing Review, 30 Oct. 2008. At ATA, we know that a large percentage of people with hearing loss also suffer with tinnitus. 

Hearing Aids Can Really Help 7/14/08

Hearing aids can play an important role in controlling tinnitus. To determine if hearing aids were helpful, a British study looked back at 1,440 patient records covering a 25-year span. They found that, for patients with hearing loss, 67-69% experienced an improvement in their tinnitus when they used hearing aids.

It May Not Matter How You Got It 7/14/08

Researchers at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine recently learned that different kinds of damage to the inner ear, such as noise, disease or neck injury, all cause similar changes in the central auditory system. These changes lead to tinnitus. This discovery is good news for tinnitus sufferers. These findings may mean that if a treatment targets the uniform brain changes that all tinnitus sufferers experience, a single treatment may help people who have tinnitus from different origins.

Hearing Too Much? TRT Might Help 7/14/08

Many people with tinnitus also suffer from hyperacusis. Hyperacusis is a decreased tolerance to sound that makes everyday noises - such as dishes clinking or hands clapping - seem unbearably loud. So who would think that introducing more sound to the ear would help successfully treat the problem? Counterintuitive though it may seem, that appears to be the case. Dr. Charles Formby and his team at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa recently released a study demonstrating that Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT), which uses in-the-ear noise generators along with counseling, helped over 80% of patients better tolerate sound.

One Method of Caring for Tinnitus Patients: Progressive Audiologic Tinnitus Management 6/17/08

“Audiologists are arguably the most qualified of all health care professionals to offer clinical services for tinnitus. Yet many audiologists lack a high level of training in appropriate interventions, leaving them wondering how to most effectively treat ‘tinnitus patients,’” writes James A. Henry, Ph.D., a research career scientist with the Veterans Affairs (VA) National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (NCRAR) in Portland, Ore. In this article, Dr. Henry and his team outline a treatment protocol for tinnitus patients that minimizes the condition’s impact on the patient, while maximizing your clinical time and cost.

Zebrafish Offer Clues to Silencing Tinnitus 5/14/08

This article, which recently appeared in The Washington Post, mentions The American Tinntius Association. The piece discusses the ongoing studies of tinnitus researcher, Ernest Moore, at Northwestern University in Illinois, who has been investigating the inner ears of zebrafish. According to Moore, zebrafish have shown the ability to both suffer from tinnitus as well as obtain relief from certain types of drugs. The article also quotes Dr. Anthony Cacace, of Wayne State University, who is the chair of ATA’s Scientific Advisory Committee.

Hearing Loss Association of America's 2008 Walk4Hearing 5/2/08

The goals of the walk include: have hearing loss recognized as a health issue; minimize the stigma associated with cochlear implants, assistive technology and wearing hearing aids; raise funds to expand services and programs for people with hearing loss and their families; and empower the HLAA state organizations and chapters to do more local outreach. The walk will be in 17 cities nationwide with an anticipated 4,000 walkers. People can walk themselves or sponsor a walker. Top sponsors of Walk4Hearing 2008 include Aetna, Advanced Bionics Corporation, T-Mobile, Phonak and Sorenson IP Relay.

For a complete update of walk sites and dates go to HLAA's Web site.

Potential Treatment for Noise-Induced Tinnitus 4/22/08

Exposure to loud sound is the most common cause of tinnitus. Researchers in Israel found that applying the drug "ifenprodil" directly to the cochlea, when applied within four days of damaging sound exposure, made noise-induced tinnitus go away. In addition to potential treatment options, this discovery suggests that tinnitus causes changes in the brain that become more permanent over time. Read the research summary or read the complete article.

Tinnitus Retraining Therapy: Helpful Day or Night 4/22/08

Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) uses counseling, education and sound therapy to help a person reduce or end their tinnitus perception. TRT often involves using sound generators for up to eight hours a day. Researchers in Italy recently reported reduced tinnitus symptoms in 68 percent of their patients. Furthermore, researchers in France discovered that using sound generators at night is at least as effective as using them during the day. Advantages to nighttime use may include rapidly improved sleep quality and decreased use of sleep medications.

25 Years of Proof: Hearing Aids Can Help Tinnitus 4/22/08

A study that ran from 1980-2004 found that, of 1,440 patients with hearing loss and tinnitus, almost 70 percent reported improvement in their tinnitus perception after receiving hearing aids. This held true whether the patient had hearing loss on just one or on both sides.

Answered at Last: Why Your Teenager Never Seems to Hear You 3/4/08

Consider these facts recently released by researchers at West Virginia University.
Of 238 college students:

• 75 percent knew that loud sounds could cause hearing loss.
• 50 percent exposed themselves to loud music anyway.
• 66 percent had experienced tinnitus.
• Of those that had experienced tinnitus, 58 percent weren’t concerned about it.

Recent research reveals a critical need in higher education for comprehensive healthy hearing awareness and instruction. Then maybe your teenager will hear you when you call their name. Read about these findings here.

NIDCD Initiates Doctor Research Training Program 3/4/08

Though medical research is valuable in its own right, its ultimate purpose is to improve disease treatment and management. The National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) recently announced an award program that will pair otolaryngologists (ear, nose and throat doctors) with research scientists so that doctors can learn how to do research. This means that scientific discoveries will move more quickly from the research lab to the doctor’s office – where they can benefit you.

Stress Increases Tinnitus In Loud Environments 2/8/08

Tinnitus sufferers have long reported that their tinnitus sound increases in loud environments. For the first time, researchers are figuring out why. A recent study determined that levels of cortisol, a stress-related hormone, rose after sound exposure. The study found that although overall cortisol levels were lower in tinnitus patients than in non-tinnitus subjects, the amount of subjective stress they reported was significantly higher. Unsurprisingly, their tinnitus went up as well. 

NIH-Funded Research Goes Open Access 1/2/08

For the first time, research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) - which is to say, research funded by American taxpayers - will be made accessible for free via the internet within one year of publication. Previously, research findings were available only through pricey professional journals, a problem for scientists on tight budgets. "Improved access will enable universities to maximize their own investment in research," notes David Shulenburger, Vice President for Academic Affairs at the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, "and [will] widen the potential for discovery as the results are more readily available for others to build upon." The NIH will publish research on The National Library of Medicine database, www.pubmed.gov. Read more here and here.

2007

The Cutting Edge of Tinnitus Research 12/11/07

Tinnitus research took a huge leap forward when researchers discovered that most tinnitus originates in the brain, rather than the ear. Now, researchers are going straight into the brain by using surgery to try to solve this problematic condition. Researchers in Wisconsin implanted electrical stimulators directly on the auditory cortex, the area of the brain which is responsible for processing auditory signals, of eight tinnitus patients. After about twelve weeks, two had consistently quieter tinnitus, and six experienced short periods of total tinnitus suppression. Learn more about surgery to treat tinnitus or read this research abstract.

Going Backward to Move Forward: Reversing Cell Development 11/29/07

What if you could reverse time? In an incredible scientific breakthrough, scientists have transformed mature human cells back into an embryonic-like state, sending the arrow of time, in the words of researcher James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin, “completely backward.” As with  traditional stem cells, the hope is that these cells could someday be converted to other tissues and be used to treat a variety of conditions. For instance, conversion from stem cells to inner ear hair cells could benefit patients with hearing loss and tinnitus.

Learn more, read a scientific abstract or find a full article as a PDF.

More Veterans Experiencing Tinnitus With Service in Iraq and Afghanistan 11/12/07

The New York Daily News reports that nearly one-third of veterans are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with tinnitus. Tinnitus and hearing loss are the third most common disability among all veterans,  and as a result, efforts to cure, treat and prevent tinnitus in the veteran population have begun to gain proper attention.

Scientist Discovers Second Job for the Inner Ear's Supporting Cells 11/1/07

Scientists have long thought that supporting cells in the inner ear merely prop up the hearing cells, but are unrelated to hearing. Now, Dr. Dwight Bergles at Johns Hopkins University has made a new connection between these cells and hearing – a connection that may help explain tinnitus. He found that before birth, supporting cells in the inner  ear release a chemical called ATP. This chemical helps the fetal brain develop the nerve connections necessary for hearing by acting as a substitute for sound. After birth, release of ATP stops as hearing develops. However, an unexpected ATP release following, for example, exposure to loud noise can possibly trigger the tinnitus sound.
Learn more here and here.

Daily Exposure to Loud Live Music Can Damage Hearing 10/18/07

A study conducted at a high school music camp in 2005 found students' sound exposure exceeded the guidelines of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) by as much as 400 percent. NIOSH sets 85 decibels over eight hours as a maximum daily sound dose. A study of the marching band at Duke University in 2003 reached similar conclusions.

Op-Ed on Community Noise 10/5/07

Written by an anthropology student, this article, while focusing primarily on the fact that loud music played by one person impacts many others around them, makes a good point about tinnitus at the end.

New Study on Cell Phones and Hearing Loss 9/24/07

According to new research presented at the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation’s Annual Meeting, long term cell phone use can lead to high frequency hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Sound of Silence 9/14/07

In the October 2007 issue of Men’s Journal , Dr. Craig Kasper, member of ATA’s NYC Fundraising Council, and Dr. Billy Martin of Oregon Health Sciences University talk about ways you can manage your tinnitus and prevent futher damage. ATA is the expert source on the incidence and dangers of developing tinnitus.

ATA Featured as a Top Resource for Audiologists 9/14/07

A recent press release issued by ATA, was highlighted by ADVANCE for Audiologists. It is currently featured in their Tinnitus Resource Center as part of some of the latest in industry news.

Talking about Tinnitus 9/14/07

On August 29th, Dr. Billy Martin of Oregon Health Sciences University was featured on an hour long program called Health Talk. He discusses tinnitus as a chronic illness and ways of managing tinnitus.

Hearing Loss High Among Musicians 6/07

Musicians suffer a higher incidence of hearing loss than people who are not exposed to noise, a new study confirms. The study says that musicians' hearing thresholds are worse across almost the entire range of human hearing and that hearing protection devices are effective in reducing the risks to hearing health. Read more.

ATA, Noise Risks Featured in Deployment Guide 4/07

ATA is the go-to source in this article from the AmeriForce Deployment Guide, delivered to all service members deployed overseas. The article focuses on extreme noise dangers military members face on a battlefield's frontlines. Read the article here, courtesy of AmeriForce Publishing, Inc.

Gabapentin Ineffective for Tinnitus Relief 4/19/07

The medication Gabapentin is no more effective than a placebo in alleviating tinnitus, reports researcher and ATA Scientific Advisory Committee member Dr. Jay Piccirillo, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri. Read more.

Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment – Patients Report Improvement 4/07

Patients reported rapid and profound improvement in the severity of their tinnitus in an Australian clinical trial testing this music-based treatment. Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment combines acoustic stimulation with a structured program of counseling by a clinician trained in tinnitus rehabilitation. Read more.

Diminished Quality of Life in Seniors with Tinnitus 3/07

For a large cohort of older adults, there is a clear association between tinnitus and reduced quality of life, according to this recent study. Researchers based the study in part on the premise that, in its more severe forms, tinnitus can be accompanied by depression, anxiety, insomnia, headaches and concentration problems, all of which can diminish quality of life. Read more.

Psychological Disturbances – Ménière's Disease, Vertigo, Tinnitus and Hearing Loss: A Report from Italy 3/07

Patients with Ménière's disease and those who have significant, similar symptoms – vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss – often experience psychological disturbances. This study investigates the relationship between Ménière's disease and personality traits, illness behavior, depression and anxiety. Read more.

Tinnitus Patients Report Relief After Receiving Cochlear Implants 2/07

Read about this Italian study involving 20 adult patients, evaluating the effect of cochlear implants on the evolution of tinnitus. Read more.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Can Help Tinnitus Sufferers 1/07

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can have a significant, positive effect on the way people cope with their tinnitus. Here's a summary from Cochrane Collaboration,  an international organization that evaluates health-related research. Read more.

2005

The Concert is Over but the Ears are Still Playing 11/18/05

This fascinating Rolling Stone article discusses the risks of hearing loss and tinnitus most musicians face. Peppered liberally with quotes from celebrity musicians with tinnitus, the piece wraps up with hearing protection tips. Read more.

Quieting the Noise 5/31/05

A Los Angeles Times feature tells one woman’s moving story about how she copes daily with severe tinnitus. Read more.

Listen Up (If You Can) 6/05

Field & Stream’s informative article tells why hunters should always use hearing protection. Read more.