Three Studies Due to Finish in 2010 Hope to Find Tinnitus Cure

Aug. 17, 2010 - PRLog -- Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom – Finally, news that must sound like music to the ears of those who never get a break from noise.(http://www.turndowntinnitus.com)

Tinnitus, incessant ringing in the ear, is an ailment dealt many people around the world. To this day, no one has found a cure for tinnitus, which often results from noise induced hearing damage or hearing loss. However, the “no-cure” status of tinnitus may change soon. Three studies funded by the American Tinnitus Association are set to finish this year. Each of the research studies tackles a different aspect of tinnitus, but all aim to cure it.

The first study, being conducted in Michigan, attempts to decipher exactly how auditory cells change after noise trauma, how their communication changes, and how these changes affect brain cell hyperactivity. Discovering what changes happen and how these changes produce tinnitus will help doctors see how tinnitus develops, and it turn develop better tinnitus treatments.

Second, a study being headed by a research team in the Netherlands, plans on mapping the brain activity of hearing impaired patients with tinnitus and without tinnitus. Through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), determining the difference in brain activity can help doctors discover the brain activity patterns that are related to tinnitus. With these findings, they can hopefully devise a treatment system that will work.

The last study, based in the University of California, is trying to understand the interaction between tinnitus and external sounds. By using acoustic and electrical stimulation, researchers hope to develop a system of suppressing the tinnitus sound, which they believe will be much more effective than masking it. Being able to suppress the tinnitus sound can pave the way for curing tinnitus.

“To the normal hearer, these studies seem boring. But to those who suffer from tinnitus, and to their families who have suffered along with them, this is very exciting news.” says Regina Jones, author of Triumph Tinnitus Today and mother of a tinnitus patient. “Add the fact that these studies will be finishing this year, and the excitement doubles. I honestly can't wait to see the results.”

Others waiting to hear the results of the study are the 50 million Americans who suffer from tinnitus, as well as the millions of other people around the world who have the same ailment. Many of them can no longer wait to finally find relief in the sound of silence.