Rock concert goers complaining of ringing in the ears when the show ends may find a solution to the phantom sounds through acupuncture. According to researchers at the University of Michigan (UM), nerves that sense touch in the face and neck might be responsible for the post-concert noises in the head that remain long after the show has ended.

These “touchy” nerves sense the increased activity of the brain when hearing cells are damaged. According to the UM study, “Hyperactivity of these touch-sensing neurons likely plays an important role in tinnitus, often called “ringing in the ears.” While the findings of their research were conducted on animals, the scientists postulate that treatments such as acupuncture targeted on the nerves of the head and neck may provide relief for certain individuals suffering from tinnitus.

In an upcoming issue of Quiet Times Tinnitus Newsletter, tinnitus expert Barry Keate will provide a detailed review of this fascinating new study.

Brent Curtis - Editor

When it comes to hearing in mammals, shape matters. According to a recent study published by the National Institute of Science, there is a direct link between the curvature of the cochlea and its ability to perceive lower frequency hearing limits.

The snail-shaped cochlea located in the inner ear converts sound waves into nerve impulses which are deciphered by the brain. Researchers believe that by understanding this relationship between the shape of the cochlea and its hearing limitations (in mammals) they can estimate what the impact of human activities may have on wild animals (who won’t sit still for a hearing test). The end result could bring greater understanding to how hearing evolved.

The spiral shape of the cochlea is only found in mammals. Those animals with tightly coiled cochleae tend to have greater hearing ranges. Sound enters the ear and strikes the eardrum, which sends vibrations to the fluid of the cochlea. This creates pressure waves that move along a narrowing coiled canal of the cochlea.

According to Darlene Ketten, an assistant professor at Harvard who participated on the study, the curvature of the cochlea and its effect on hearing has long been a controversial subject among scientists. But the new study now provides them with a new theory to better understand the hearing limitations of mammals based on the unique curve of individual cochleae.

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Researchers at the University of Buffalo (UB) are studying to learn if there is a specific area of the brain that is responsible for the sounds associated with tinnitus.

Having studied tinnitus for the past ten years, these scientists will study the brain signals they believe are responsible for creating the phantom sounds of tinnitus. The research uses animal models previously developed at UB. The clinical study is currently being conducted at UB’s Center for Hearing and Deafness under the direction of Richard Salvi, Ph.D.

Dr. Salvi and colleagues found that when the brain’s auditory cortex receives reduced auditory signals from the cochlea (the hearing organ), due to damage or aging, it causes a part of the brain to “turn up the volume,” experience as hissing or ringing. A major goal of the research is to try to identify the neural signature of tinnitus. In other words to find what aberrant pattern of neural activity in the auditory cortex of the brain is associated with the onset of tinnitus.

Those who live with tinnitus on a daily basis have found individual methods for minimizing the incessant noise they hear through the use of other distracting and/or complimentary sounds. The effort is known as tinnitus masking.

Methods employed to dim tinnitus noise range from high tech hearing-aid-like devices designed to match tinnitus frequencies to less costly and pragmatic ideas such as cracking the car window when on the freeway or leaving the radio on a night while attempting to fall asleep. 

Purchasing sound generators that can play various ambient sounds in a room such as ocean waves on a beach or a waterfall has helped many. These calming sounds have been shown to be helpful as a sleep aid… with or without tinnitus.

Now a website, SimplyNoise.com, provides white noise online, free. White noise commonly contains every audible frequency at approximately the same intensity, resulting in a ‘hissing’ sound.  An interactive volume slider at the website allows each individual to find their own comfort level. According to the site, white noise can aid sleep, enhance privacy, block distractions, mask tinnitus and soothe migraines.

Brent Curtis