New University of Michigan Tinnitus Discovery — Signal Timing

[Tammy Rowe]

I emailed Susan Shore. I actually got a reply. They are conducting a study in the fall and are keeping my email address. I may be invited to participate. All I told her was I live in Michigan and would like to be considered for participating in your study. Lo and behold I was contacted a week later. I will keep everyone posted if I am chosen. If I do get to participate I will post my experience as well.

 

[ee9892]

FYI - I signed up for the trial and received this email today. I think ill be a good candidate based on how I can alter my tinnitus with jaw movement, and I live 20 minutes away from where they are located. I'll keep you all updated.

"Hello,

Thank you for your interest in our work and study. The trial will begin in early Fall. We have recorded your email and you will be contacted over the next several months regarding your potential participation.

For further reading, please see our article at: http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/10/422/eaal3175?rss=1

Thanks!

The Shore Lab"

 

[Tammy Rowe]

PLEASE DO! If you get to participate. I cannot alter mine. But it does come and go. Some days it's in one ear and not the other and vice versa. I don't know if I will qualify. But one can hope.

 

[Mic]

At least.... an article that explains the Shore method thoroughly and understandable for Joe and Jane:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2675187

My opinion for the viability of this method (don't want to crash your party but):

• The population count of 10 control and 10 actual treatment doesn't pledge for reliable results. The chance for false positives are way tooooo high...
• The score difference between control and actual is not that great for TFI and dB.

See it for yourself on the results tab of clinicaltrials.gov:

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/results/NCT02974543?sect=X870156#outcome2

 

[Autumnly]

"Published in early January, the findings prompted an outpouring from people interested in the next clinical trial, set to start in August. "We've received about 2600 emails," Shore noted. Despite the interest, the upcoming trial can accommodate only 50 participants.

The upcoming trial in August, which received funding from the National Institutes of Health's Brain Initiative, will administer the treatment a bit longer, perhaps 6 weeks instead of 4 or a longer duration per day, Shore said.

For now, the human findings are preliminary and the device is experimental, although the University of Michigan holds a patent on the concept. "We don't have an end product just yet," she noted. "But for the next trial we're having devices made that will be FDA-compliant."

"How long might it take before a commercial product is on the market? "At least a couple of years," Shore said. "I can't predict the future, so we'll just have to wait and see.""

 

[threefirefour]

Published in early January, the findings prompted an outpouring from people interested in the next clinical trial, set to start in August. "We've received about 2600 emails," Shore noted. Despite the interest, the upcoming trial can accommodate only 50 participants.

The upcoming trial in August, which received funding from the National Institutes of Health's Brain Initiative, will administer the treatment a bit longer, perhaps 6 weeks instead of 4 or a longer duration per day, Shore said.

For now, the human findings are preliminary and the device is experimental, although the University of Michigan holds a patent on the concept. "We don't have an end product just yet," she noted. "But for the next trial we're having devices made that will be FDA-compliant."

"How long might it take before a commercial product is on the market? "At least a couple of years," Shore said. "I can't predict the future, so we'll just have to wait and see."

Thanks for the update it looks great.

I'm glad it's anticipated to begin in August, which is 3 months earlier than I assumed it would be. One big nitpick I have is the scale and frame of the pivitol trial. The clinical Trial was only 20 participants, but apparently that's HALF of the minimum FDA requirement for a pivitol device trial. I won't question her judgement but that's still concerning.

Also, 6 weeks is only 1/2 larger than 4 weeks, which isn't exactly "long term". Sure this means it will hit the market sooner assuming it passes, but I still want some more solid research. Hopefully they will re-evaluate the trial design...

 

[Nate Croteau]

https://newatlas.com/tinnitus-cure-treatment-headset/52854/

I actually figured out how to do this treatment on my own months ago. Just by using my Dr. Ho Pulse Massager on the back of my neck near my ears while whistling a tune that masks my Tinnitus. I would do this for about 30 minutes a day and it seems to have helped reduce the volume of my Tinnitus over time... So this article proves that I'm a bonafide Genius! Lol

 

[jer]

And the article and your anecdotal comments also possibly prove that dr. Shore is on the right track.

 

[threefirefour]

And the article and your anecdotal comments also possibly prove that dr. Shore is on the right track.

while I think nate's little experiment was creative, I don't know how effective it wasn't in reducing his tinnitus.

IMO, what proves she's on the right track is another very similar trial having passed its clinical trial in September 2017.

 

[jay777]

where are the two that are cured? where are the world news headlines?

 

[Jiri]

where are the two that are cured? where are the world news headlines?

I think their tinnitus returned after some time. A temporary effect.

 

[MickV]

I think their tinnitus returned after some time. A temporary effect.

You're right. She admitted it on Facebook live that it returned.

 

[Paulmanlike]

You're right. She admitted it on Facebook live that it returned.

Still, if 40 mins of use gave you relief for a week and you had to use it for life that would still be a breakthrough and would have huge demand

 

[MickV]

Still, if 40 mins of use gave you relief for a week and you had to use it for life that would still be a breakthrough and would have huge demand

No doubt it is a start and....it is getting us closer to understanding why it stopped...if we know how....problem is solved for good!!

 

[MickV]

Her aproach has changed i must said. In her website she said that probably there will be no cure for T. But after first trial with her promising results she said : if we know how we can stop T this is our approach. It makes me happy that she is looking for a soultion/ a cure and not just treatment for volume

 

[reeax]

She holds a patent? That means the patent was probably submitted some time ago. The device will get out in few years at least? Cool just take the patent description and send it in China for a very limited production (ex. 100 devices, for non-commercial purpose) via Alibaba, and we're all done here in few months.

 

[GregCA]

Cool just take the patent description and send it in China for a very limited production (ex. 100 devices, for non-commercial purpose) via Alibaba, and we're all done here in few months.

I hope no researcher who works hard to find a cure for us ever comes across a post like this.

 

[MickV]

Can anyone explain me the timing electric stimulation of the device? I never understood how it works? What makes it different than other devices that sends elctric puleses? We have those devices ....

 

[Tempest]

https://newatlas.com/tinnitus-cure-treatment-headset/52854/

I actually figured out how to do this treatment on my own months ago. Just by using my Dr. Ho Pulse Massager on the back of my neck near my ears while whistling a tune that masks my Tinnitus. I would do this for about 30 minutes a day and it seems to have helped reduce the volume of my Tinnitus over time... So this article proves that I'm a bonafide Genius! Lol

I actually just went to pick myself a Beurer EM49 just for the heck of it to see if this works.

 

[threefirefour]

I actually just went to pick myself a Beurer EM49 just for the heck of it to see if this works.

It probably won't because of how much more complex the students said it would, but great job checking another guys internet claim to reproduce the results. Please post results back here in 6 weeks!

 

[Tempest]

It probably won't because of how much more complex the students said it would, but great job checking another guys internet claim to reproduce the results. Please post results back here in 6 weeks!

We'll see, I won't need money where I'm going Anyway, I'll let you guys know. My main tinnitus is typewriter/morsecode like.

There are also some info here (buried yet again): https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tens-machine.646/page-2

 

[Alberte]

How long before the device created by Dr Susan Shore will be available?

 

[Zok]

Hey James: As I recall, the issue (as you say) was that lidocaine's effect was very short lasting, and not worth the risk to patients given the side effects. I think the challenge remains to formulate a drug that can be administered regularly and quiet tinnitus for long periods of time. The delivery system, too, is a problem, given it involves the inner ear.

I personally think electrical stimulation is going to be the better route than drugs, but who knows? And I also think different types treatments will be needed for the different types of tinnitus (the disorders caused by noise trauma vs. age-related hearing loss, etc). Drugs seem to be choice for noise-related T caused by inner ear hair cell damage.

Maybe inject lidocain nearby blood vesell that goes to ear. I am not expert in cardiovascular things, so this might be techically false, as I do not know how drugs get transported via blood. I suppose they have to go throught heart, but then i hope they don't.

Another possible mechanism is retrograde transport thought nerves/dentrites - but then I do not know what drugs can be absorbed this way and if there is anyone who is doing so.

Again I am a bit more familiar with nerve anatomy than vascular, but not sure if something of these things is doable.

 

[razo]

I am thinking one can try to operate away the neurons that shows the hyperactivity. It has been shown that new brainregions can take over bodyfunctions for brainregions that have been removed by surgery, e.g for stroke-patients, so wouldn´t this also work for hearing? If it is very difficult to "retrain" the affected neurons to operate normally again - so difficult that they could be characterised as damaged - wouldn´t it be right to remove them?
Or insert chemicals that slows down the electric activity in this brain region. (This method is now in clinical trials for epilepsypatients; epilepsy is also characterised by hyperactivity between neurons).

 

[Jiri]

Or insert chemicals

Good point (or neural transplantation). In Parkinson's disease i.e. there's missing a certain population of cells that produce hormone dopamine. In the 50's scientists were thinking "Fine, we will cultivate these cells and then we place them into a brain." What sounded great in theory and worked on animal models didn't work at all for humans.

With chemicals, the situation is even more complicated I think. By raising dopamine levels in the affected brain region that's responsible for Parkinson's, you theoretically could get rid of the Parkinson's disease or at least its symptoms (tremors, stiffness and dementia) but create an imbalance and thus possibly giving the individual Alzheimer's disease.

I believe signal timing neuromodulation could really be the key here (and so does Prof. MUDr. Vladimir Benes, DrSc. - a neurosurgeon).

 

[razo]

I believe signal timing neuromodulation could really be the key here (and so does Prof. MUDr. Vladimir Benes, DrSc. - a neurosurgeon).

I hope so too.

But regarding inserting chemicals: I discovered this technology while reading about the swedish company Combigene. They are now in pre-clinical studies (apologies for saying clinical stage in last post) and their proof-of-concept studies on animal models have finished with good results, and they have also seen good effects on transplanted, living human braintissue that they have had access to after epileptic surgery. In my notes I have that epilepsy is due to overproduction of glutamate in the brain. Their CG-01 is a virus that does not replicate (so it will stay in the injected brain area, so is safe compared to earlier types of this medication). In my laymans understanding the CG-01 acts as resistance for the neurons and then causes them to reduce the activity and "fire" less. It is intended for the group of epileptic patients that are not suitable for todays epileptic treatment. They are also looking to expand their CG-01 to new indications.
Here is a videopresentation:

And their webpage: http://combigene.com/en/latest-news/

Perhaps this could be a future solution for people with tinnitus also. (I did not want to start a new thread so I mentioned this here).

 

[attheedgeofscience]

How long before the device created by Dr Susan Shore will be available?

The JAMA Network issued an article which included a quote from Prof. Shore on this (the article was released in March 2018):

 

[attheedgeofscience]

Do you know if the Dr Shore research and the device she create concern only « somatosensory » tinnitus?

A fine question. I had myself a little difficulty understanding this point. But after having read a bit more of the research by Prof. Shore, I think the patient profile is meant to be understood to include those who have somatosensory tinnitus which – I believe – is not the same as somatic tinnitus as an etiology (i.e. somatosensory origin). Somatosensory tinnitus could span multiple etiologies (incl. those with noise-induced tinnitus). In fact, it is not uncommon to be able to modulate a person's tinnitus using pressure applied to the jaw or temple. So, as I see it, I think her work could have a pretty wide scope in terms of the patients who could benefit.

The above is just my own view in this case. I could be wrong, and someone should make the effort to find out more from a reliable source...

 

[Steve]

and someone should make the effort to find out more from a reliable source...

In the presentation at the TRI conference they said they are gong to test it out, to quote myself:

Their next steps are to test if it works for non-somatic tinnitus, and how does it work on hearing loss patients. The next questions are, will longer treatment durations improve outcomes, and how long does the treatment effect last? And of course, can they optimise the protocol further?

 

[threefirefour]

In the presentation at the TRI conference they said they are gong to test it out, to quote myself:

Their next steps are to test if it works for non-somatic tinnitus, and how does it work on hearing loss patients. The next questions are, will longer treatment durations improve outcomes, and how long does the treatment effect last? And of course, can they optimise the protocol further?

They said that at the conference? That's interesting. They said this in the livestream, and that the guniea pig results translate almost exactly to human results.

I don't think they can tell if a Guinea Pig has somatic tinnitus, so if it works in most of them, could this suggest that from the Guinea pig results, that it may work on nonsomatic sufferers?