Breakthrough in Tinnitus Research Could Lead to Testable Model

Any news regarding the research by Dr. Richard Salvi

http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2015/05/020.html

 

I feel so bad for our brains having to go through all this trouble

 

YES... I wrote to him today. See the exchange below. Please do not 'bother' him with any requests not already covered here!!!

Incidentally, for those of you familiar with my past Thanos Tzounopoulos interactions you will notice the same theme here of: I am a research scientist, not a clinician.
These guys do not want to get hassled or involved with all the "medical" aspects, or drugs question-answer stuff, etc. so please don't do it. THANKS!

Zimichael

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REF. ~ DR. SALVI, UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO 12/19/2015

Subject: Question on your work at UB re Tinnitus

Dear Dr. Salvi...

I was wondering if anything further has come to light with regard to this report from May of this year???

http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2015/05/020.html

As someone who has suffered from tinnitus for many decades, and added hyperacusis (c/o aminoglycoside antibiotics, etc.) in 2006 and beyond, my life has been basically a long slow form of torture. And the research for a "cure" has been glacial, as you no doubt know.

I keep up on the field extensively and am active online helping others and linking parties who may benefit from work they may not be aware of. For example, Thanos Tzounopoulos at U. Pittsburgh and his work on voltage gated potassium channel modulators; TRI in Germany; even self activated trials by "patients" using currently available AED medications with off-label potential to help tinnitus or hyperacusis; etc.

I look forward to any news and certainly hope that progress is being made, for obvious reasons!

Sincerely yours... Michael Xxxxxx
California.
Tel. (XXX) XXX-XXXX

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From: salvi@xxxxxx
Subject: RE: Question on your work at UB re Tinnitus
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 2015

Michael
I am a research scientist, not a clinician, but I have spoken with many tinnitus and hyperacusis patients over the years.

1. We continue to work on tinnitus and hyperacusis; these are complex problems and I expect that there are many different forms of this disorders, not just one time.

2. Most people that contact me are looking for a miracle drug to turn off tinnitus. Most drugs are ineffective for the tinnitus population as a whole, with the possible exception of “typewriter tinnitus” that seems to be treatable with tegretol (see my review paper).

3. We have used potassium channel modulator to suppress drug (salicylate) induced tinnitus (paper attached), but the drug, Maxipost is not approved for clinical use, only research.

4. Your best treatment option with the least risk is some form of sound therapy combined with counseling and education. Our audiology clinic at UB has been using this for more than 15 years and find that it helps the majority of tinnitus and hyperacusis patients, but this approach takes time. I also highly recommend hearing aids if you have a hearing loss. My advice would be to find an audiologist near you that has a good deal of experience working with tinnitus patients. Usually they advertise therapy as “Sound therapy, Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, Neuromonics, Sound Cure……”

5. I have a 1 hour lectures on tinnitus on the Microsoft Research web site which you may find informative (see link below)

I hope the information will prove helpful to you. Best wishes for the holidays.

Richard Salvi, SUNY Distinguished Professor
Center for Hearing and Deafness
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY 14214

Tinnitus Lecture on Microsoft Research:
http://research.microsoft.com/apps/video/default.aspx?id=141026

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Dr. Salvi... Thanks for your rapid reply, and on a Saturday too!

Indeed, your paper: PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENTS FOR TINNITUS: NEW AND OLD is one of my favorite standbys. Excellent!
*[Here it is for those interested - Zimichael]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136369/

Thanks for your suggestions, but I am afraid I am rather beyond those "modalities" for treatment, but do know they well. I have had classical acoustic trauma tinnitus for 59 years (yes since age 6 c/o an explosion), then four increases over the remainder of my life - I'm now 65...separated by as much as 24 years, and as little as 3 years (latest increase in T and H was 2012). The added hyperacusis and "sound-reactive" tinnitus since 2006 has made habituation much, much more difficult. And I have had a lot of practice!

Yes I'm familiar with the research on Maxipost and have read the studies.

Just for your interest, TRI has now published on an internet based patient run 'trial' using Trobalt (a Kv7 modulator), which is indeed a pretty "heavy duty" drug. But desperate times often lead to desperate measures!
Incidentally, there have been a significant number of people with extensive relief from the drug, if not flat out "cures". Mainly short term sufferers though. It is ongoing, and "n" sample is small - maybe around 15 or 20 people overall so far. Not exactly "scientific" but revealing nonetheless.

Again, thanks for your reply and please...KEEP PUSHING THE RESEARCH! There are very many of us that need it, let alone the VA budget!

Best, Michael M.

 

I can say I am not familiar with the ''typewriter'' variant of tinnitus. I assume it means some kind of staccato tinnitus activity?

 

You will find lots on Google, and under TT search too - often as "Morse Code" type tinnitus.

 

@Zimichael

What causes this kind of T?? Do you know??

 

I think typewriter tinnitus and morse code tinnitus are one and the same. According to the below abstract.

Have you tried carbamazepine? It looks promising!!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16514262

Abstract
Six subjects with similar unilateral tinnitus that was fully suppressed by carbamazepine have been identified. Their ages at the time of the sudden onset of their tinnitus ranged from 39 to 87 years (mean 67). The 3 men had right ear tinnitus. Two of the 3 women had left ear tinnitus. All 6 described a staccato quality of their intermittent tinnitus ('like a typewriter in the background, pop corn, Morse code'). Five of the 6 subjects had no other hearing or vestibular complaints; their audiograms were symmetric and consistent with their ages. Vascular compression of the auditory nerve ipsilateral to the tinnitus was detected in 4 of the 5 subjects imaged. The similarities between typewriter tinnitus and other cranial nerve syndromes associated with vascular compression (trigeminal neuralgia, hemifacial spasm, and glossopharyngeal neuralgia) suggest that surgical decompression of the auditory nerve can relieve medication-refractive cases of typewriter tinnitus.

 

@Zimichael

Thank you for sharing this. I am however a bit confused as to what he commented on. He is not really commenting on his work or what will happen going forward? Is this correct understood?

 

It has been known as a typical type of tinnitus caused by vascular problems like microvascular compression of the auditory nerve. There seems to be a significant releif for such cases, however, speaking for myself, although I do have microvascular compression according to my MRI and possible symptoms, tegretol did nothing for me.

 

@Zimichael

Thank you for the info. Can there be other sounds together with the morse code sounds and still all be related to microvascular compression of the auditory nerve?? Hope you are having good days. Mary

 

i read the full text, and i would ask to Dr. Salvi why Campral (acamprosate) has been not enough investigated considered the potentials demonstrated here (statistically significant);

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22345878

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17956791

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16612523

and more others...

Why its sò difficult to do a trial?

 

Possibly but not likely. MRI is the only way to rule that out. I don't think there are many doctors out there skilled enough to spot this.

 

A very good question! It is what I would also like to know for myself. Apart from this morse code T that is not that bothersome, I do have a fluctuating whistle, that is the most annoying of all other sounds. This one does fluctuate from 10 to 1, so I can not positively say it is from acoustic trauma, since if lost hair cells would cause this, it should be more like a constant number, more or less. I may be wrong of course...
On the other hand, my own theory suggests a combination of sources for the problem: A hair cell damage that may cause hearing loss and H, and the underlying whistle and other sounds from possible vascular conflicts: The result being less sound masking from the environment and more prevailing internal sounds..

There is of course another possibility: Tinnitus and hearing loss are both coming from vascular problem that should make matters worse as time passes by.

 

OnceUponaTime, skoupidis:

Please limit this thread to news regarding the research by Dr. Richard Salvi.
There are plenty other threads to discuss related matters.

Thank you

 

Bravo!!!

 

With a little googling (using words: cerebellum tinnitus) it seems that Salvi's teams obervation has been done at 1999 already by A Shulman. So what makes this suddenly "a breakthrough" in tinnitus research or am I missing something?

 

great . did you tried it ?

 

There seems to be a strong connection.

http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2015/05/020.html

I wonder if learning a new language and balancing oneself while juggling can begin to overwork the cerebellum and reduce Tinnitus

who know worth a try?

Michel

 

Tendor tympani and stapes myoclonus cause the typewriter noise, you usually develope the myoclonus in response to intense fluctuating tinnitus that won't leave you alone, all this attenion focused on your inner ear for months without relent causes you to be able to start to activate your ear muscles. Now when you hear your fluctuatin s it causes you to tense up your inner ear muscles, this brain ear connection is not supposed to be so sensitive, but our mind is powerful and it's always focused in our ears so we get/cause muscle spasms called myoclonus when we hear out Tinnitus fluctuate. I also have bird noises, for me these cause my myoclonus / ear spasms. I need a hearing aid masker worn all times to mask the birdies. My T is from Labrythitis your right thi s type of T is from internal damage (virus bacteria fungus infection) not loud music, and yes the T from these is truely suicidal .