Tones, howls, noises, beeps and knocks are some examples of sounds that roughly 15 percent of Sweden’s population experience on a daily basis.
In Sweden, psychological treatment is currently recommended, through CBT, but researchers disagree on whether there should be additional options.
Given positive results
A new study tests a treatment method that shows a positive effect for tinnitus patients. Assistive devices stimulate two senses at the same time and create synchronization between different parts of the brain.
– What is interesting about the study is that it shows that the more troublesome you experience your tinnitus, the greater the probability that the treatments will be effective, says Christoffer Cederroth, researcher in neuroscience affiliated with the Karolinska Institutet.
The innovation can inspire further research. Christoffer Cederroth would like to see a similar study carried out in Sweden.
– Since the positive results are greatest among those with a high degree of tinnitus, it would be interesting to focus on that group.
Is not a cure
The method also faces criticism. Gerhard Andersson, professor of clinical psychology at Linköping University, has been researching tinnitus since the early 1990s.
– It is not the first time a new aid for tinnitus has been launched. Ever since Egypt’s papyrus rolls, people have had suggestions on how to deal with tinnitus, he says.
Among other things, Gerhard Andersson made a critical statement in the SVT review of tinnitus patches in 2018. The review resulted in the Medical Products Agency stopping the sale of the patches that are placed behind the ear.
He does not rule out that the new aid could have an effect. But emphasizes that more research is needed on how the nervous system, hearing and the brain correlate. Therefore, he is worried that the aid will give patients false hope.
– Many people with tinnitus would like nothing more than for us in healthcare to remove the sound completely, so that they get silence. But this is a method that may alleviate, not a method that removes the sound.