Episode 7: Breakthrough Using Multisensory Stimulation to Reduce Tinnitus
SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT: Susan Shore, PhD
After 20 years of painstaking research, Dr. Shore made national headlines this year with groundbreaking research results that showed positive effects in tinnitus treatment using bimodal stimulation. She heads the team of researchers at the University of Michigan, where it was discovered that “touch”-sensitive (somatosensory) neurons in the auditory region of the brain become hyperactive and synchronized with each other in guinea pigs and humans with tinnitus. The team’s preliminary studies found that bimodal stimulation, which calms neurons using specially-timed multisensory stimulation, reduces tinnitus distress and loudness. In the fall, her team will begin the next phase of research, with the goal of replicating earlier results and gaining Food and Drug Administration approval for commercialization of the technique.
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Dr. Phillip Gander discusses his groundbreaking research mapping tinnitus in the brain during two different craniotomies. His research has added clarity to fMRI studies and theories on the different networks of brain that process the phantom sound/s of tinnitus. In addition to sharing unexpected things that happened during the research conducted while the patients were awake, he touches on how future research might be designed to track and compare changes in the brain of subjects with tinnitus, which could provide better understanding of subsets of tinnitus and why it affects people differently.
Our 5th podcast features Glenn Schweitzer, a best-selling author and blogger on tinnitus and Meniere’s disease. Schweitzer was a college student when the sudden onset of Meniere’s disease destroyed his vision of having a productive life. He shares how this life-altering disease aggravated his tinnitus and necessitated a radical change in lifestyle, focus, and commitment to helping others with both conditions. Listeners will hear his story and what motivated him to become an advocate for greater awareness and help for those with bothersome tinnitus and Meniere’s disease. 
Our 4th podcast features Dr. Larry Roberts, an emeritus professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Dr. Roberts discusses cutting-edge research in neuroscience that points to understanding possible causes of tinnitus, including cochlear pathology, hidden hearing loss at high frequencies, and synaptopathy. He also shares compelling findings on teenagers with tinnitus. Thoughts are shared on how recent research, in such areas as transcranial magnetic stimulation or procedures designed to harness neural plasticity, might be translated into clinical treatments. 
