Completed Neuro-Music Therapy for Recent Onset Tinnitus: Evaluation of a Therapy Concept

Tinnitus Talk submitted a new resource:

Neuro-Music Therapy for Recent Onset Tinnitus: Evaluation of a Therapy Concept (version 1.0) - To evaluate a neuro-music therapeutic approach (the "Heidelberg Model of Music Therapy").

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Study completed and results published. Twenty-three patients with acute tinnitus (onset from 6 to 12 weeks) were tested. Authors concluded that their therapy reduced tinnitus severity for acute tinnitus sufferers. Below is an excerpt of the publication that explains the music therapy:

The “Heidelberg Model of Music Therapy” is a manualized short term music therapeutic intervention lasting for nine consecutive 50-minute sessions of individualized therapy. It strives for an integration of strategies to manage the psychological state and possibly restore the underlying neurophysiological reorganisation. At the basis of this music therapy concept is the notion that tinnitus is experienced as an auditory percept - just as musical stimuli are experienced as auditory percepts. An outstanding feature of this treatment approach is the way in which patients actively influence their symptoms. This leads to an improved self-efficacy and a more differentiated picture of their symptomatology. ​

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Here is the link:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3731192/​

The authors also published favorable results utilizing their music therapy on people with chronic tinnitus:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3443887/​

 

Hey @jazz,

You know i am actually not surprised to find this study had good results, and the results are good in general but the therapy is specific, so there's a chance that music therapy might work, it's better than TRT I am sure.

I was actually considering going to Germany to try this but I can't seem to find where they do it, any links?

I've also been toying with this idea of reorganization of tonotopic maps, here's the thread:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-tonotopic-reorganization.1923/#post-16742

Your comments welcome.

 

I notice Module 3: Neuroauditive Cortex Training in http://www.tinnitusjournal.com/detalhe_artigo.asp?id=498

Experimental data indicate that it is more efficient to train at normal hearing frequencies rather than in the region of hearing loss or tinnitus frequency 44,45. We therefore propose that it is possible to alter the internal tinnitus spectrum by means of the Neuroauditive Cortex Training, which represents a specific perceptual training within the normal hearing frequencies.

Is that means patient should listen to sound frequency not nearing their own T?
But the other sound treatment like Soundcure and ACR proposed to listen to sound nearest to one's own T?

And how about combining both Heidelberg Model of Music Therapy and Tinnitus treatment with sound stimulation during sleep (http://www.tinnitusjournal.com/detalhe_artigo.asp?id=69)? With the tonotopic maps theory this could potentially reverse T, at least for patient that still has acute T.
But the problem is these treatments will never be made available to 99% of T patient even though they have good test results. It seems only treatment with high commercial value can make it out of the door!?

 

@EddyLee I was also unsure what the authors meant regarding "normal hearing frequencies" rather thean "hearing loss or tinnitus frequency...." Perhaps, something was lost in the translation. You're correct that different sound therapies focus on different regions: some are based on your tinnitus frequency; others want to "notch out" that frequency, thereby increasing lateral inhibition, etc.

I don't believe you could combine Heidelberg with the other study you cite since that latter uses a different sound formulation.

But don't despair! There are several options. You might try to PM Steve. He can do tones for you. See the following link: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...n-do-it-yourself-guide.1469/page-6#post-16658

Audionotch.com is another option. It is based on notch therapy. Here is one link on Tinnitus Talk; there are others too: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/quick-introduction.1801/#post-15731

Finally, there's an interesting study about water sounds being effective for tinnitus that you should be able to do yourself: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21601395

 

@jazz What i mean to combine the 2 treatment is to apply Heidelberg treatment at day time and the other treatment at night. Thanks for the info on the various DIY sound treatment options. Though my T has been reduced to quite minimal since i took vitamin B12 & D which i'm diagnosed to be deficient and changed my diet to get rid of my chronic GERD. So i plan to keep my current regime but the DIY sound treatment might come in handy one day, who knows

 

Just to recall the reference of the clinical trial:
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01566708
Study completion date: September 2013.

And the results (even if the estimated enrollment and the number of patients actually enrolled do not match):
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3731192/

See also this thread:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...n-to-prevent-chronification-of-tinnitus.8830/