Significant Breakthrough in Search for Tinnitus Cure



Researchers at the University of Auckland in New Zealand are encouraged by "encouraging results" from a clinical study of a mobile phone-based therapy after 20 years of looking for a treatment for tinnitus.

61 participants were randomized to one of two treatments for the trial. The new "digital polytherapeutic" prototype was provided to 31 participants, or half of the group. The remaining half (30 persons) made use of a well-known self-help program that generated white noise.

At 12 weeks, the polytherapeutic group on average displayed clinically significant improvements while the control group did not. On August 5, 2022, the findings were released in the journal Frontiers in Neurology.

Associate Professor of Audiology Grant Searchfield adds, "This is more significant than some of our earlier studies and is expected to have a direct impact on future treatment of tinnitus."

An initial evaluation by an audiologist, who creates the individualized treatment plan, is essential to the new treatment. Based on how each individual experiences tinnitus, it integrates a variety of digital technologies.

According to Associate Professor Grant Searchfield, new technological advancements have made this treatment viable. University of Auckland credit

White noise, goal-based therapy, goal-oriented games, and other technology-based therapies have shown some promise in earlier studies, according to Dr. Searchfield.

"More people will gain some control over their lives in 12 weeks instead of 12 months thanks to this,"

Tinnitus cannot be treated with a pill or other treatment.

According to Dr. Searchfield, this therapy essentially rewires the brain so that the tinnitus sound is reduced to a background noise with no significance or importance to the listener.

The results are fascinating, according to Dr. Phil Sanders, an audiology research fellow, and he personally enjoyed conducting the trial.

"An improvement was noticed by 65% of individuals. Tinnitus had a life-altering effect on some people, controlling their attention and lifestyles.

Even if some people didn't perceive an improvement, Dr. Sanders says their feedback will help with future tailoring.

Tinnitus is a phantom noise with complicated underlying causes. It has thus far resisted effective therapy.

Most people occasionally have tinnitus, also known as ringing in the ears. However, only about 5% of people report it as being really distressing. Sleeping issues, difficulty completing daily duties, and even despair are potential effects.

Dr. Searchfield claims that the suffering of his patients and the lack of available effective treatments served as the inspiration for his study. "I wanted to change something,"

The prototype will then be improved, and larger regional and worldwide trials will follow in anticipation of United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.

The app should be clinically ready, according to the experts, in about six months.

Grant D. Searchfield and Philip J. Sanders, "A Randomized Single-Blind Controlled Trial of a Prototype Digital Polytherapeutic for Tinnitus," Frontiers in Neurology, 5 August 2022.

By UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND 

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