Participant Experience: Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) Paired With Tones for Tinnitus

Just in a daily routine.

 

any changes in T so far?

 

Won't know until I get much further into the sessions. I have decided not to do any updates until there is further news that will come from this study that i'm in. So far everything is very routine from day to day and it will no doubt stay like this for several weeks.

 

Hi labrat10687, I also am a participant in this study. My implant surgery is scheduled for next week. Unfortunately I am very seriously reconsidering.

So far my pre-implant experience has been the same as yours ... alot of testing.

I feel very fortunate to have been selected, however, as my surgery date draws near, I am becoming very anxious. I still need to get further clarification regarding a number of concerns I still have. This is a huge decision.

Could you tell me what your understanding is about what Microtransponder's resposibility will be once this treatment recives FDA approval and concludes this study?

If interested, I will post updates of my experience if I choose to proceed.

 

Can you explain what your doubts are? As far as I know the surgical procedure is pretty boring (to quote Micheal Kilgard, surgians find it boring).

 

guineapig, Have you made a decision yet?

 

I was at my test site yesterday and my Audiologist gave clarification to most all my concerns. Also, assured me that if I choose to op out, my spot could still go to another canidate. That was a huge relief for me.
Now that most of my concerns have been addressed, I can say that I'm getting my courage back.
So ... "Game-On".

 

Could you elaborate? What where your concerns...?

 

What was your concerns? Has been over a month for me since surgery and 3 weeks doing the therapy sessions. Maybe I could give you some answers. If you would like just send me a pm. Thanks!

 

You must hear tones that are tones of your tinnitus for Vagus Nerve Stimulation? It can be removed, why did you give up?

 

Christian78, Yes the noise therapy(2.5 hours daily)contains tones that will stimulate your vagus nerve. Also I don't think guineapig gave up. Just had concerns over the surgery. This is what the daily therapy session looks like.

 

Hello @labrat10687 do you feel any changement in tinnitus so far?

 

The little implanted device electrically stimulates the vagus nerve. They do not know why, or how it works, but they found that if you pair a tone with vagus nerve stimulation the brain start to pay attention. In other words: they can teach your brain that the tones you hear through to headphones are important. They play lots of tones but NOT your tinnitus tone. Results ----> every thing is important except the tinnitus tone.

They hope, that if you hammer it in to the brain long enough and hard enough.... even stable neuron networks might want to shift there function (stop generating tinnitus).

 

what chance have any of us to get this treatment? It will be too expensive for most of us and only be available in certain places too far away........

 

Remember this is just a study. They are hoping it works out and at some point in time get FDA approval. If it gets approval I don't know what the cost will be. I have not brought it up but it's one step at a time. Last I heard maybe 40 people will get picked for this study.

 

Stimulating the vagus nerve causes a release af an important nerve signalling neurotransmitter: acetylcholine

 

Let's also hope they develop a less invasive principle for stimulating the nerve, if this method seems viable!

Looking forward to the results... That endless waiting for the future!

 

this is not new study it is several years old one

 

The current study is the first double blind control study....on humans...

 

pity i cant try

 

And i'm one of the humans. This is a new much larger study in the United States.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/269207.php

 

When is your surgery due?

 

probably still in the daily routine.....?! Could you guy's show a sign of live?

 

It needs to be less invasive!

Maybe if this is successful the next goal would be less invasive.

Good luck!

 

@labrat10687 , @guineapig Have you had any reduction in Tinnitus?

 

US20150051659 Methods, systems, and devices for treating tinnitus with vns pairing
02/19/2015 US20150051658 Methods, systems, and devices for treating tinnitus with vns pairing
02/19/2015 US20150051657 Methods, systems, and devices for treating tinnitus with vns pairing
02/19/2015 US20150051656 Methods, systems, and devices for treating tinnitus with vns pairing
02/19/2015 US20150051655 Methods, systems, and devices for treating tinnitus with vns pairing

Recent Feburary patents with some good details. Hoping links work.

 

@thesaint
may be they are healed who knows ?

 

In the detailed patent reports its quite clear the tech. But they state

The pairing as it relates to tinnitus is notably unique. We are not pairing just random sounds. We are not doing some kind of auditory training or improving perception of one sound over another. The key is that we are deliberately pairing the non-tinnitus frequency. The reason is that pairing the non-tinnitus frequency results in a decrease in the area of the brain responding to the tinnitus frequency and decrease the synchronous firing of neurons. By reducing the response to the tinnitus frequency and decreasing synchrony, we are able to reduce tinnitus symptoms. No one has before shown that the symptoms of tinnitus can be improved by excluding specific sounds and including specific sounds. A drug cannot work selectively in this way, nor can cortical stimulation. VNS has the specificity to do this.

But false?! As isnt that exactly what ACRN is? Heck even notching out t zone listening to broadband noise. Noise, around t zone, in certain patterns ..to break up synchronous firing... This just adds nerve electrolsis for applied.. Brain plasticity aka speeding it up. Its all neuromonics just with nerves being fired. Mutebutton has tech now. I wouldnt be surprised of a patent war down the line. They need to work together more. But all this is the same deal with added direct nerve electricity. Details in the above patent links are superb.

Patent in usa as assume acrn firm who went bust i think never did. Copied idea ...however....with added nerve power though. But its all neuromonics.

 

This all seems a bit flakey to me. How much have they got in govt grants etc over the years?

 

Recently published, I think
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25689839