Electrical Stimulation of the Cochlea for Treatment of Chronic Disabling Tinnitus

[Joeseph Stope]

Please do not tell me to relax. Even if the intent is positive, my tinnitus has progressively worsened week by week.

It has now become reactive to any noise, no matter how quiet, and to almost any type of body movement. This includes things like sniffling, talking, and sometimes even just moving.

Sorry to hear that your situation is so difficult. I hope you can find an ENT who can help, or perhaps some fellow sufferers can recommend a good one near you.

From your avatar, I see you joined in December 2024, so I presume your tinnitus began around that time. That was only about a month ago, which means there is more hope for you than for someone like me. Hang in there.

One piece of advice I remember is to avoid loud noise and also avoid complete silence. At night, I use a noise machine that plays sounds like water, wind, or nature, along with the radio. Sometimes I leave it on all night.

It seems like Nature takes the minimum of what it needs, so I usually get about five hours of sleep a night, sometimes a little more.

Later Edit:

Just to follow up on this:

1. The way forward is to gradually accustom yourself to sounds. ENTs typically recommend sound therapy for this, which involves listening to sounds you find somewhat pleasant—such as white noise from a machine or similar devices. Some people compare it to using earplugs but with sound. This approach has a reputation for being relatively straightforward. Your local tinnitus specialist or ENT would be the best place to start.

2. I personally use a radio, and sometimes I leave it on all night if I fall asleep and forget to turn it off. It has a lovely, soft sound and is an old-fashioned model from the 1960s or 1970s.

A word of caution: be mindful of loud noises like chainsaws, 750cc motorbikes, ambulance sirens, and similar sounds, as they can be harmful.

I hope this helps.

 

[Mathilda]

If I'm not mistaken, there is another study in Belgium testing electrical stimulation of the cochlea:

Evaluating How a Tinnitus Implant Affects Tinnitus Loudness in Adults with Chronic Tinnitus and Varying Levels of Hearing Loss (TINIS)

 

[Nick47]

If I'm not mistaken, there is another study in Belgium testing electrical stimulation of the cochlea:

@Mathilda, this is a duplicate. It is already on here.

 

[Mathilda]

@Mathilda, this is a duplicate. It is already on here.

@Nick47, I wasn't aware of it, even though I read through the entire thread.

If I may ask, where exactly is it already available?

 

[Tmc]

If I'm not mistaken, there is another study in Belgium testing electrical stimulation of the cochlea:

Evaluating How a Tinnitus Implant Affects Tinnitus Loudness in Adults with Chronic Tinnitus and Varying Levels of Hearing Loss (TINIS)

This study is exciting to me. The company sponsoring it is Cochlear, which is a large, publicly listed company.

 

[Nick47]

@Nick47, I wasn't aware of it, even though I read through the entire thread.

If I may ask, where exactly is it already available?

It is the trial by Cochlear Limited, which was first posted in October or November of last year. It involves a tinnitus implant.

 

[hey]

I reached out to the researchers about participating in the trials, but you have to live in Belgium or the Netherlands to be eligible, which ruled me out. If any members are from those countries, they mentioned that they are still recruiting, in case you are interested in joining.

 

[Fields]

I reached out to the researchers about participating in the trials, but you have to live in Belgium or the Netherlands to be eligible, which ruled me out. If any members are from those countries, they mentioned that they are still recruiting, in case you are interested in joining.

I haven't been keeping up with this thread, but I live in the Netherlands.

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Nes]

I reached out to the researchers about participating in the trials, but you have to live in Belgium or the Netherlands to be eligible, which ruled me out. If any members are from those countries, they mentioned that they are still recruiting, in case you are interested in joining.

You also have to be proficient in Dutch. I would have participated otherwise

 

[Mathilda]

It is the trial by Cochlear Limited, which was first posted in October or November of last year. It involves a tinnitus implant.

Hello @Nick47,

I still could not find it in this thread. Maybe it is mentioned somewhere less obvious. English is not my first language, so it is possible I missed that information.

Anyway, I still think there are posts that are much more off-topic or trivial than mentioning, perhaps again, that there is another study on tinnitus implants besides the ones from Mayo Clinic, Olze, and Djalilian.

 

[Nick47]

Hello @Nick47,

I still could not find it in this thread. Maybe it is mentioned somewhere less obvious. English is not my first language, so it is possible I missed that information.

Anyway, I still think there are posts that are much more off-topic or trivial than mentioning, perhaps again, that there is another study on tinnitus implants besides the ones from Mayo Clinic, Olze, and Djalilian.

Evaluating How a Tinnitus Implant Affects Tinnitus Loudness in Adults with Chronic Tinnitus and Varying Levels of Hearing Loss (TINIS)

 

[Fields]

I've gone through the available information, but I'm a bit hesitant about the procedure because I've had surgery in the past for which they had to drill through the mastoid bone.

I don't want to mess anything up in that specific area.

Are there any preliminary studies on this specific approach, by the way?

 

[Mathilda]

Evaluating How a Tinnitus Implant Affects Tinnitus Loudness in Adults with Chronic Tinnitus and Varying Levels of Hearing Loss (TINIS)

@Nick47, well, this is certainly a duplicate now, as it is already part of this thread.

In the meantime, I found the other Tinnitus Talk thread that focuses exclusively on this study. It would have been helpful if you had posted a link, so that someone who is clearly not aware of it could take a look at the discussion.

Here it is:

Evaluating How a Tinnitus Implant Affects Tinnitus Loudness in Adults with Chronic Tinnitus and Varying Levels of Hearing Loss (TINIS)

 

[hey]

I've gone through the available information, but I'm a bit hesitant about the procedure because I've had surgery in the past for which they had to drill through the mastoid bone.

I don't want to mess anything up in that specific area.

Are there any preliminary studies on this specific approach, by the way?

@Fields, hey, if you feel like it is not too bad and you are managing to get through each day, then I would not suggest doing the clinical trial.

If you have any questions about the procedure, you can email them. I am sure they will get back to you. They answered me within a day.

 

[RingerBell]

In the Tinnitus Quest Q&A, Dr. Djalilian stated that with the electrode placement his research group is considering, the device would stimulate the higher frequencies.

Does the same logic apply to the other research groups and the devices they are planning? Would those devices primarily stimulate the cochlea and auditory nerve in the high-frequency region? Or do we know at this point if there are other electrode placements that could reach deeper toward the apex of the cochlea and target the auditory nerve in the low-frequency range?

 

[natashann]

In this study on electrical stimulation of the round window, the majority of participants had a tinnitus tone at 5 kHz and experienced improvements. I know that is not a low tone, but at least it shows an effect below the extended high-frequency range.

Maybe a combination of an implant and the use of the Susan Shore device could bring relief to those who have multitonal tinnitus across different frequencies.

 

[Nick47]

the majority of participants had a tinnitus tone at 5 kHz

Hi @natashann, I had a quick read. The table shows that all participants had a tinnitus frequency of either 4000 Hz or 8000 Hz. The average was around 5.5.

 

[natashann]

Yes, @Nick47, you are right. Sorry, I am not used to reading medical papers. Still, I just wanted to say that it can help with frequencies below the extended ones.

 

[Nick47]

Sorry, I am not used to reading medical papers. Still, I just wanted to say that it can help with frequencies below the extended ones.

@natashann, it's not a concern. At least you do read them. I wouldn't focus on the frequencies of hearing loss or tinnitus as a way to understand how this works. The human trials will collect that data.

If it were a cochlear implant, then that would be important, but this is not.

 

[hey]

I called the Mayo Clinic, where Dr. Carlson works. I asked about the tinnitus implant trial and whether I could join or learn more about it. The clerk said that the research department informed them the trial had been completed and that they may or may not conduct another one in the future. The clerk told me this message was sent to them in late 2024.

 

[LBE]

That is really surprising. The updated clinical trials page suggested that they would not finish until at least this time next year. Frankly, this makes me feel pretty nervous. I hope they publish their results. I called them early last year and asked to be added to the list for any future trials. Maybe I will call again to find out if they plan to share the results publicly.

 

[natashann]

I thought that trial was supposed to end in 2026. Maybe someday we could have a Tinnitus Quest interview with Dr. Carlson to hear how it went.

 

[Nick47]

I called the Mayo Clinic, where Dr. Carlson works. I asked about the tinnitus implant trial and whether I could join or learn more about it. The clerk said that the research department informed them the trial had been completed and that they may or may not conduct another one in the future. The clerk told me this message was sent to them in late 2024.

@hey, all I can think is that they completed Phase 1 with nine patients some time ago and are now requiring more funding. The listed end date suggests the trial is expected to finish in December 2026.

This kind of ambiguous communication frustrates patients. This is why Tinnitus Quest is such a valuable resource, as researchers are required to provide updates every three months.

Looking at the bigger picture, there are three other implants currently in development. The one run by Cochlear Limited is very similar to the device being developed by Matthew Carlson. I would expect the Cochlear Limited version to reach the market first out of all four, as they have the resources and workforce to move through the trials and gain approval more efficiently.

 

[LBE]

@hey, all I can think is that they completed Phase 1 with nine patients some time ago and are now requiring more funding. The listed end date suggests the trial is expected to finish in December 2026.

This kind of ambiguous communication frustrates patients. This is why Tinnitus Quest is such a valuable resource, as researchers are required to provide updates every three months.

Looking at the bigger picture, there are three other implants currently in development. The one run by Cochlear Limited is very similar to the device being developed by Matthew Carlson. I would expect the Cochlear Limited version to reach the market first out of all four, as they have the resources and workforce to move through the trials and gain approval more efficiently.

@Nick47, do you think the Cochlear trial is part of the reason the Mayo Clinic team has put the next phase on hold?

Also, from what I remember, Dr. Carlson's device stimulates the cochlea directly, while the Cochlear device does not go through the bone. From my limited understanding, it seems that direct contact with the cochlea would be more effective, which is why I was really hoping Dr. Carlson's device would work.

 

[Nick47]

you think the Cochlear trial is part of the reason the Mayo Clinic team has put the next phase on hold?

Also, from what I remember, Dr. Carlson's device stimulates the cochlea directly, while the Cochlear device does not go through the bone. From my limited understanding, it seems that direct contact with the cochlea would be more effective, which is why I was really hoping Dr. Carlson's device would work.

I do not think the Cochlear Limited trial has anything to do with it. He is involved in many other aspects of ENT work, including clinical practice. I suspect it is simply a matter of funding.

All the devices stimulate the auditory nerves, and all are invasive. The Hamid Djalilian method just uses a different surgical approach.