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According to an American study, a new sound treatment could relieve 60% of people treated for tinnitus and improve their quality of life.
Hissing, buzzing, ringing… Tinnitus affects many more people than you might think. According to a survey conducted in 2022 by the IFOP at the request of the National Hearing Day Association (JNA), 14 to 17 million French people are affected by tinnitus, including 2 to 4 million permanently. That is nearly a quarter of the French. If some are tolerable, or boring, others, on the other hand, ruin the lives of those who suffer from them. But a recent study by researchers at the University of Michigan’s Kresge Hearing Research Institute suggests relief may be possible. This was based on the way the brain processes bi-sensory information, in particular via personalized stimulation. His team’s findings were published in JAMA Network Open.
A portable device adapted to the perceived tinnitus spectrum
The study, a randomized, double-blind clinical trial, recruited 99 people with somatic tinnitus, a form in which movements such as clenching the jaw or applying pressure to the forehead cause a noticeable change in pitch or volume of tinnitus (which affects 70% of people with tinnitus). Participants received a wearable device developed and manufactured by in2being, LLC, for home use. Each device was programmed to present each participant’s personal tinnitus spectrum, combined with electrical stimulation to form a bi-sensory stimulus.
Study participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The first group first received bi-sensory, or active, processing, while the second received sound-only, or control, processing.
- For the first six weeks, participants were asked to use their devices for 30 minutes each day;
- The next six weeks gave participants a break from daily use;
- During the additional six weeks, participants used the treatment not received at the start of the study.
Each week, participants then completed the Tinnitus Functional Index, or TFI, and the Tinnitus Disability Inventory, or THI, two questionnaires that measure the impact of tinnitus on individuals’ lives. Participants also had their tinnitus intensity assessed during this time.
6 out of 10 people were relieved
What did this study show? The team found that when participants received the bi-sensory processing, they consistently reported better quality of life, lower disability scores, and significant reductions in tinnitus intensity. However, these effects were not observed when receiving sound stimulation alone. Additionally, over 60% of participants reported a significant reduction in tinnitus symptoms after six weeks of active treatment, but no control treatment.
For the team, 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, first author of the study. But before betting on a noticeable improvement, Auricle Inc., the exclusive holder of the patents related to bisensory stimulation, will have to obtain regulatory clearance and then commercialize the new bisensory treatment for tinnitus studied here.