- May 27, 2020
- 556
- Tinnitus Since
- 2007
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Loud music/headphones/concerts - Hyperacusis from motorbike
I do remember reading somewhere that cochlear inflammation in mice lasts up to 6 months post-noise exposure. This study shows that auditory nerve fibre degeneration in the cochlea nucleus (brainstem) continues 6-9 months post-noise exposure - almost in parallel. I wonder then if there's a relationship between the two or whether this is just a coincidence. Are the same mechanisms responsible for inflammation in both areas, or does brainstem inflammation occur because of the inflammatory processes happening in the cochlea? As @100Hz was alluding to (I believe), it is also very interesting that those who experience their biggest improvements seem to do so after this timeline of 6-9 months has elapsed.I remember reading this find from @serendipity1996 a while back, just read it again to refresh my memory. Its a bit of research that does bother me because it detracts from the 'typical' cochlea pathology that we're hoping will get fixed by upcoming cochlea treatments. i.e. auditory neuropathy as in inner cochlea synapse / SGN connections rather than damage to the auditory nerve external to the cochlea.
One question though, is this referring to the type of damage that Rinri Therapeutics is being developed for? (There's been a bit of discussion lately about it being caused by other conditions such as MS etc. but not typically caused by noise from what I remember. I can't find the exact post I'm looking for from @FGG I think, but there are bits and pieces of discussion in some of the research threads about us noise induced sufferers not really having to worry to much about it.)
If it is anything to do with noxacusis, the timeline could be quite accurate in that it continues to degenerate up to 9 months post noise exposure, but however, it would also seem to be something that can recover to a degree as well unless it is once again inflammation that is recovering and auditory nerve degeneration is something else to add to the list of permanently damaged components.
Would this part of the auditory system be responsible for setbacks though? I would imagine not, and that even though it is damaged (possibly permanently), the susceptibility to setbacks is still more likely to be a fault in the cochlea at a certain point along the frequency range. (For what its worth, although it could be the case that permanent damage has occurred to multiple various components, I would like to think that only one or two of them are actually responsible for setback susceptibility. OHC's and sensitized type II afferents for example. I would hope that if they could be fixed, even though a sensitized trigeminal nerve, damaged auditory nerve, and whatever else remained that at least the threat of setbacks would be over.
It's a minefield, isn't it? In any case, I think it's worth giving some kind of neuro-protective protocol that addresses neuroinflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis a shot - for example, by supplementing with Lion's Mane, Curcumin, Resveratrol, Nicotinamide Riboside and Astaxanthin (or Krill Oil with Astaxanthin in it) - while getting in some healthy amounts of sleep and exercise too. I've read that to see the benefits of such an approach you may have be on these supplements for at least a few months. I'm about to start my full protocol next week (already on Lion's Mane and a bunch of other stuff), will add Resveratrol to the mix once my microscale arrives. I feel when one is in such a desperate situation where modern medicine is still unable to help, once can leave no stone unturned. I know that many on here have tried these supplements, but I wonder how many have taken all of the ones I listed above for an extended period of time and whether they saw any results in treating their hyperacusis.