Can You Hear Beating of Tones?

I am re-reading "Tinnitus Retraining Therapy" by Jastreboff and Haskell. This second time around, I notice how much my understanding of the tinnitus differs from these experts.

They make the following statement: "Tinnitus beats with external sounds does not occur".

Oh yeah? This seems to happen to me all the time. Once I go into our family room, either the TV or our forced air heating system, sets up this synchronicity with my left ear. I begin hearing "beats" in the vibrations. The vibration in either the TV or the heating system (I think it's the heating system that does it), gets in sync with my tinnitus.

This also happens when I walk by the train locomotive in the morning. I start hearing this "wow-wow" effect with my tinnitus.

But Jastreboff and Haskell say the following: "Cyclical fluctuations of loudness of perceived sound occurs when two pure tones that are very close in frequency are presented together. The phenomenon is called beating of tones, and the cyclical rate of loudness change equals the difference of the two frequencies. This phenomenon has not been achieved during attempts to produce beating with tonal tinnitus (perceived as being similar to pure tones) an externally applied pure tone."

This makes me wonder if I am actually hearing a "somatosound" from the OHC (outer hair cells). The book says that somatosounds differ from tinnitus: "In the case of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions, these can be treated, paradoxically, by giving the patient aspirin (which normally induces tinnitus)...Aspirin attenuates action of OHC, which are responsible for spontaneaous otoacoustic emissions and which are involved in tinnitus."

I'm taking an aspirin this morning. Experiment No. 387.

Interestingly, my tinnitus began after taking 365 mg aspirin everyday for a couple of months, a year ago. I was also taking Metaprolol, due to an episode of atrial fibrillation. I stopped taking both of these, but the tinnitus has stayed.

Every now and then, I hear "whizzers" - which sound like fireworks going off. When that happens I hold onto my seat, like, "what the hell was that?". Obviously, according to these experts, that's a "spontaneous" emmission. But is it possible to have continuous pure tones from OHC emissions?

 

Karl,

What do otoacoustic emissions sound like? And did the aspirin work? Does Jastreboff address when you have two or more sounds at once? I always have hissing by my auditory cortex, 24/7. But I frequently get tonal frequencies--one or two--that gives my tinnitus a more "central" feel.

Any info would be appreciated.

 

Jazz -
I understand "otoacoustic emissions" to mean spontaneous sounds - sort of like a firework's rocket. This happens to me now and then. It's like, all of the sudden I hear this "ping!", like a bottle rocket. These tinnitus researchers say otoacoustic emmissions are due to the outer hair cells, which also have a fundamental role in initiating tinnitus. Apparently these sounds are common, especially with people who have tinnitus.

I've been taking a low dose aspirin for the past 3 days. It may be working...but not quite sure yet. It is well known that aspirin in high doses can effect how outer hair cells behave. Usually aspirin induced tinnitus is temporary.

Some people on this site have been praising a homeopathic concoction called "Newton's (something)". I know that certain homeopathic substances are very similar to aspirin. Homeopathy works on the principle that "Like cures like": You take a little bit of the poisson that caused the problem. I think it may be possible that this Newton stuff may be benefiting some people because it has an aspirin-like ingredient. Just a theory.

I think one of the criticisms I have of Jastreboff and Hazell's book is they make definitive declarations, such as this one about beats. I swear mine seems to beat. I've wondered if this is my heartbeat; but it always happens in the same place, where I hear the forced air heating system and the TV.

It is very interesting that, according to Jastreboff and Hazell, tinnitus is happening internally in neural networks, whereas somatosounds are actual sounds. It makes sense that a nerve sending a tinnitus sound (via a synaptic current) would not have a "beat" with another vibration. Our brains interpret a nerve's voltage as a vibration based on the tonotopic location of the nerves - but nerves are not actually vibrating. OHC and the cochlea are actually vibrating, therefore they would experience interference beats with other physical vibrations.

 

Karl,

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. More information to ponder and speculate. Learning about tinnitus would actually be interesting if I didn't have it!

Thanks again!