MuteButton

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#2
Developers of the MuteButton apparently believe the brain will know what change to make once it can differentiate between what they are calling "real" and "imaginary" sounds. This because brain function, according to them, includes, "inherent neurological mechanisms that suppress the perception of illusory sound".

These neurological mechanisms they claim, can and will suppress tinnitus as an illusory sound once enabled by their device. In other words, the brain has the ability to ignore unwanted sounds and would do so if only it could tell the difference between sounds it wants to hear and unwanted imaginary sounds.

I think the concept could have been called - reverse aversion therapy. The MuteButton however, sounds way cooler. Unless I'm imagining things again.
 
#4
The Brain is plastic enough, to adapt to ignoring the sound, when you go to your kitchen do you always hear your fridge, working away? the answer to this is mostly not!!! Try and treat Tinnitus as useless sound and you will notice your T will fade into the background, the more you treat it that way, the less the threat, until one day you will hardly hear it.
 
#5
it may be that there is a good idea nestled in this product somewhere

but

i get suspicious when i read complex wonky sentences like this, (that obscure meaning)..

"Low-entropy multimodal stimuli are used to target brainstem structures where the auditory and trigeminal nerves converge"

or this

"...High-entropy stimuli are used to target auditory-somatosensory integration structures in the cerebral cortex"

or this

"a multimodal basis for sound discrimination"

huh?
 
#9
Jim said "Hi Joe, I agree...except that if my refrigerator was as loud as my tinnitus, I would drag it out in the back yard and beat the shit out of it with a hammer...."

and then id beat the crap outta every other refrigerator in the neighborhood ;)
 
#10
I have been asked to take part in a clinical study for this. The ENT consultant I went to for tinnitus consultation is also clinical director of the mute button company. He reckons they are getting 6/7 out of 10 showed good improvements from a previous clinical study or trial.

I have a hearing test next week to see if I'm suitable for this treatment.

Will kept you posted...
 
#13
Another Device thingy, but who knows, maybe this one works....only in pre-clinical trials now so if you live in or near Dublin, Ireland you can participate. Any and all research is encouraging.

Video on how it works (note: tinnitus sound/noise at beginning of video)






Mutebutton is a novel technology intended to alleviate the symptoms of Subjective Tinnitus. The device synchronously presents sound using headphones and tactile representations to an intra-oral array on the tongue.

The device simultaneously stimulates the senses of hearing using sound and touch using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.
Low-entropy multimodal stimuli are used to target brainstem structures where the auditory and trigeminal nerves converge. Rate-encoded signals are used to suppress the neuropathological activity suspected to be involved in the generation of Tinnitus.
High-entropy stimuli are used to target auditory-somatosensory integration structures in the cerebral cortex giving the brain a multimodal basis for sound discrimination to harness inherent neurological mechanisms that suppress illusory percepts such as the sounds of Tinnitus
For more info Mutebutton
 
#17
well im doubtful..clinical trials started a few months back and I cant find anything on the net to indicate any kind of breakthrough..i believe a member of this site was involved and he aint posted nothing so either he is off enjoying the tinnitus free world or it dont work..what i dont like/get is that such treatments build themselves up making claims and projecting an image of having cracked it only to fade into obscurity (yea i know..its funding..but it sure peeves me off)..
 
#18
They are looking for volunteers - so if you are in or near Dublin, Ireland you may be interested:

http://www.mutebutton.ie/

'MuteButton are currently conducting a number of treatment studies in clinics in Dublin, Ireland. If you are a tinnitus sufferer and wish to participate in a MuteButton treatment study, please contact us at: info@mutebutton.ie'

'Tinnitus treatment wins 'One to Watch' award. Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Conor Lenihan TD (pictured) presented the award to Dr Ross O'Neill at the Enterprise Ireland Applied Research Forum in front of 250 academic researchers.'

'MuteButton has secured €200k in funding from Enterprise Ireland, which will enable it to accelerate large-scale trials of its tinnitus treatment device. Ross O'Neill of MuteButton said "Enterprise Ireland has been fantastic throughout the project. They have been instrumental in every step along the way". He concluded, "This investment will enable the company to carry out large scale clinical trials of the MuteButton device later this year with our clinical collaborator Mr Brendan Conlon, Surgical Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist at St. James's Hospital, Dublin."'

'Multi-sensory integration (MSI) is a crucial component of our ability to perceive the world around us. MSI centers in the brain are responsible for comparing signals from multiple modalities to help create the rich sensory experience that is our world. We use this functionality when confronted with sensory paradoxes such as walking into something that can't be seen. Our immediate reaction is to resolve the paradox by supplementing our mislead sense of sight with the sense of touch or touching the unseen object with our hands. Our brain subconsciously resolves many similar paradoxes on an everyday basis.
Subjective Tinnitus is characterized as a neuropathology arising from hearing loss or 'deafferentation' that causes unregulated neuroplasticity resulting in the perception of illusory sound. It is widely believed to involve sites of 'generation' and of 'perception' within the central nervous system.
The MuteButton research team are investigating cortical & brain-stem structures suspected to be involved in the generation & perception of Tinnitus and the ability to use neuromodulatory techniques to manipulate neurophysiological auditory-somatosensory interactions in these structures to alleviate the symptoms of Subjective Tinnitus.'
 
#20
oh well... be nice if they could have put that on their site. Let us know if you do get in tho Dez.
 
#22
Go into 'Inbox' top right then at the bottom of the window it says 'Start new conversation'.

These trials are taking a while arent they?
 
#23
Good news from Mute button... I have listened to an interview of the MuteButton CEO, Dr. Ross O'Neill on an Irish radio (RTE Radio 1). Dr O'Neill reported first results of the clinical trial involving 60 patients. He said that after 12 weeks of listening to nature music + this new strange device which touch the mouth, they observed a clinically significant reducing in the tinnitus handicap score and a mean 11 dB decrease of the minimum masking level. Quite positive! They plan to commercialize the device next year in the UK
You can listen to the interview here :
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/mooney/programmes/2013/0206/366465-wednesday-6-february-2013/?clipid=993775
 
#25
I've been following their progress since I first saw it in October. Ross O'Neill really does seem to care - his daughter was born deaf. They think it will be avialble at the end of this year. I'm going to nag nag nag the NHS to get it on board (I'll explain to them how much they'll save in the long run...) . Up to 16 weeks with electrical stimuli going into your tongue plus the headphone sounds - but the methodology does seem to make sense.
 
#27
:p I've already started printing out the reports (with graphics so the poor GPs don't have trouble reading them) and collating the info. Did this with some of the Jast. info too. I just think that our GPs should be better informed. When you think of how they deal with us when we go to them with T - it's soooo wrong. Have to wait until I move back to Cornwall tho - should be quite a folder by then! I think perhaps local councillors may be interested too (they seem to have a semblence of influence in some local authorities) and also.. I know someone who knows the editor of the major local rag down there - I think they should print a few articles about how people are treated when they first see their GP with T and how much money the NHS would save if they took on board the mute button - assuming that it gets through the trials etc.
 
#29
Interesting and odd that the concept and product appeared to be developed before clinical trials.

this is a very odd piece of medical product development, this mutebutton thing.

thats not the way it works.You test the concept and then trial it and then and only then develop the product.

well we will see soon enough. I am cetainly not holding my breath on this one.
 
#30
A number of devices are being developed this way. ANM was and also Soundcure. They do it to get the money in from the sales and THEN they can afford to do the clinical trials.
 
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