How Long Have Researchers Known That Tinnitus Might Be Caused by the Brain?

I'm just wondering that how long they have tried to find a treatment or a cure for tinnitus from that moment when they discovered that our brain might cause it and not the ears... I mean if it's something like 40 years, then I will be desperate because almost nothing has happened, but if it's something less than 10 years, then I think they will find a treatment or cure eventually because they focus mostly their research on the brain nowadays.

Does anybody know answer to this question..?

 

They have researched it more intensly since 1995, but the breakthrough when they realized that it is in the brain came less than 10 years ago.
Anyway, since there are various causes behind T as it is a symptom it would need a very indivudal and thorough analysis. Most likely if there are going to be drugs they are only going to help a certain number of sufferers and not everyone.

 

Sometimes I hear it in my left ear and sometimes in right. Sometimes it feels like coming from my head. Can't say about doctors/researchers, but when T is idiopathic, I believe it is caused by brain.

 

@Stina That is also something that I can't stop wondering, if there is so many causes behind T but all we experience noise that doesn't really exist, doesn't that mean there have to be something in common? Something that makes our heads ring like crazy.. I just don't get it if someone's tinnitus can be cured that it won't work for other's noise too.

I mean if you have headache from cold or from migraine, aspirin will probably help you in both cases!

 

Yes it could be that tinnitus happens in the same way. But it is not a disease, but a symptom, which could mean that it is different in different causes. I dont think that has really been researched. However, most of the drugs being worked out are focused on noise-induced tinnitus or tinnitus from infections, not on stress induced tinnitus. This shows that there could be a difference.
In my opinion in most diseases even where the mechanisms are the same not all treatments work for everyone. For example Ive had arthritis for almost 15 years. There are several medications for that (Trexan, Medrol, Plaquenil, Salasopyrine etc), also hormonic meds, biological treatments, not to speaks about supplements and alternative medications. yet every year there are people who become disabled by it, because the drugs dont work on them and no one knows why. In depression there are many different meds used to treat it and often doctors have to change or combine them.
Everyones body is different and therefore there is never one treatment that workd for everyone.
I dont mean to bring you down by that. Im simply saying that its better to focus on habituation than wait for some magical cure/treatment that may come in 2, 5, 15 or 35 years. Instead we should try to live in the present and value what we have.

 

There is a very promising clinical study in the works led by Steven Cheung at UCSF that addresses t and the brain. It came about because a group of Parkinsons patients who also had tinnitus underwent a procedure at the basal ganglia of the brain, and in all cases their t completely went away. I have often wondered about the different mechanisms of t and how one cure can exist for all these. But in each case, it is the brain creating the noise for some deficiency somewhere along the line from the brain through the auditory cortex to the inner ear. If the brain is controlling the sound, then that seems the most likely target for a cure.

 

Tinnitus is an exaggerated alarm reaction of the human body, for example for stress (in my case). Unfortunately once the cause is found and repaired (for example stress reduction), tinnitus remains. The maintenance/perpetuation of this alarm reaction is done by the brain stem. This is the central processing unit of the human body. So you cannot simply modify parts of the brain stem. Only the whole thing by for example benzo drugs.

Sorry to say that. But I honestly doubt that there will be a cure in the near future. Adjusting things in the brain or regenerating hair cells is very difficult or even impossible. But this is only my opinion and how I was educated.

So I go for habituation. The brain is neuronal plastic and neurons can rewire throughout your complete life up to an old age. Once your body and emotions accept this sound as something neutral, it will fade or you will no longer care.

Just my 2 cents.

Btw there are more than 400 known causes for T as I was told by some ENTs.

 

I think since more people have T nowadays then ever before that since they are working on treatments for it and in another 20 to 30 years the numbers will be doubled with how many young people and the military get it they have to look harder for a cure and past few years they realized this... The disability rate is pathetic for it and as years go on more and more people will be on disability so they would be a dissapointment to not have something actually effective other then treatments regarding habiuation in the NEAR future...am 101 and autifony are the next steps in gettin us there.. Might work for some and not in others.. Or maybe a combined treatment but they will figure it out.. Not to mention they discover new things all the time bout T more now then ever before so to me it seems like even though in the past they researched T that now its like there actually RESEARCHING and getting somewhere.. And add ten years from now who knows what else they will know and discover

 

Habituation is the only cure.. maybe some day there will a treatment, and I hope there will be, but it always seems to be just 5 years away..?.. ....

 

We got 1 million vets who need treatment, and our VA pays out almost 1 billion a year.. this is where the money and research is going to come from.

 

Well i dont mind them saying 5 years away even if they say it in another 5 years cause one of these times in a 5 year span they will find a cure and they have to know there getting alot closer to be saying 5 years otherwise they would just say 50 years.. And i know they want money donated therefore they could just be saying 5 so people donate more but i believe some scientists are pretty positive on how far we actually are for a good treatment or cure. And 5 years from now alot more things will be discovered then now and a step closer.. In the mean time habuitation and a positve mindset is the best thing while waiting

 

Yeah this looks real promising... Stimulating the caudate nucleus made it dissapear!!! I cant wait to see the results on this trial

 

Habituation's not getting me where I want to be, my life before T. I live with it.
I believe there won't be a complete cure, but a pill than greatly that kills the volume.

I absolutely believe it's in the brain, T got out and it won't go back in the box
as @Dr. Ancill phrased it, if I could use his words. I respect his posts.
I like @Lisa88's post, she pointed right to the brain. It must be a brain cloud, (if you've seen that movie).

 

This is proof that tinnitus can be cured. The problem is that its in the brain! - the least known organ in the body.

 

Yes, the sound is in my head, not ears.

 

Mine was caused by a mini stroke, blood clot, in my brain stem. MRI shows it very clearly. It's the brain...