Treatment Prospects: Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Oh well then that's great if it's working for you. Could you say more about how it works? Where do you place the electrodes, is it just one on each ear or do you have to place pads somewhere too?

 

Hi Chris,

I have been in contact with TTC and they have said that they want you to contact them immediately, as what you are doing is extremely dangerous. Sorry about this, but I just thought I would ask them about the other units and electrode placements etc.

They make a clear distinction between their device, being specifically designed to stimulate the Vagus Nerve, and other cheaper TENS devices which are not designed for this purpose and are very dangerous when attempted. I don’t think this distinction between TENS and TVNS is as simple as it looking the same.

I bought my device from TTC, because they are in the UK arm of the Helsinki Ear Institute (who are a world leading research centre for tinnitus research). I think trying to recreate their work with a device that looks the same, in a sort of similar way, is akin to having a nurse do your surgery because they are wearing blue like the surgeon. I chose TTC because of their reputation, and after speaking with them about the other devices, I'm glad I did.

 

Ok thanks. I haven't done anymore since.

 

I have had tinnitus since 1980. It has progressively worsened from then. I recently discovered that my alma mater, The University of Texas @ Dallas' Callier Center for hearing impairment et.al. participated in a research study a year ago about our affliction. They apparently has some success. They may have another research study upcoming this year. It has to do with stimulating the 'Vegus Nerve'. You can Google UT Dallas Tiinitus Research and find the correct link. I have emailed Dr. Kilroy for more info about the possible upcoming new study to be a volunteer for the research.

 

Good luck and hope they can find at least a little cure!!

 

There seems to be a suggestion that stimulation of the vagus nerve could be beneficial to tinnitus sufferers.
https://selfhacked.com/2015/07/30/2...agus-nerve-and-all-you-need-to-know-about-it/

Thoughts welcome

 

Not sure if it will work for tinnitus, but this device was approved to treat cluster headaches.

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...ve-stimulator-treat-cluster-headaches-n748036

 

I think actually Finland are on the forefront of this, still they are trailing this many place for epilepsy, tinnitus and other conditions I think. My audiologist actually said I was a good candidate to enable me in such I trial, but I guess he was BS-ing me.

 

Cause a finish members were on here saying he/she started with this and I got the impression it was kind of common practice there. I dont know how it went though.

Well, he has talked about both neuro-modulation and VNS, but when I try to contact him about its like he is forgotten all about it. He runs a tinnitus-clinic far from where I live and is always unreachable. He is a strong believer in hearing aids with NG though.
Hav´nt heard about the scandal, What was that about?

 

Wow, that makes me very angry to hear. Just one other examples of how us T sufferers are being exploited through out the world through overpricing, stupid promises of things that will cure you ranging from supplements to band-aids behind your ear. (The latter was a Swedish product too, right?)

We got a great public healthcare system in Norway too, but regarding T all they really do is push you a HA with a NG. I think its about time they explore other ways to go. I can´t wait for Frequency TX to make all this shit history.

Yeah, he is considered Norway´s leading expert on the subject. He is very knowledgeable indeed.
Here is a lecture he has held if you are interested and since you will probably understand the language(even though he has a very southern norwegian dialect

Frokostmøte 2012 #2 - Hør!

Btw, his clinic is incorporated at a hospital.

 

I think it was bc I have so many somatic problems as a consequence of my T and H.

 

Well, there are many brilliant researchers in Norway. Recently a woman discovered a cure for rheumatism I think it was. But regarding regeneration I think the last place to look would be Norway. But, to be honest, I would not know a thing about it. I´m not in any way as knowledgable as you, when it comes to this!

 

Updates?

 

Vagus nerve stimulation via the ear? I know this is for something else than tinnitus but it's interesting.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-49157343

 

So anyone tried the different devices on the market for vagus nerve stimulation for their tinnitus?

 

I'm going to try Parasym but most people in the forum who tried it found it didn't help. I'll report my findings in the forum

 

Reversing degraded auditory processing using targeted plasticity

 

Targeted neuroplasticity in rat primary auditory cortex with vagus nerve stimulation and near-threshold tones

 

Are you a researcher Frederic?

 

Frederic is our research patron saint... The guy is unbelievable... Thank you Frederic... again.

Peace be with you MattS.

 

@MattS : not at all.

 

Pairing vagus nerve stimulation with tones drives plasticity across the auditory pathway (Borland, M., et al, 2019)

''The study demonstrated that pairing VNS and tones increased both cortical and subcortical plasticity. “Stimulation of the vagus nerve activates neuromodulator release in the brain, and this neuromodulator release paired with sound presentation generates plasticity throughout the auditory system, both cortically and subcortically,” said the study’s senior author, Crystal T. Engineer, PhD, a research assistant professor at The University of Texas at Dallas. “In the current study, we paired vagus nerve stimulation with the presentation of tone and found that the neural representation of the paired sound was enhanced in four auditory fields: the inferior colliculus, the primary auditory cortex, the anterior auditory field, and the posterior auditory field.”

''Although the results are preliminary, the authors suggest that the multiple changes in the auditory pathway found after VNS-tone therapy in their rat model provides a framework for future preclinical and clinical studies.''​

''According to Dr. Engineer, the novelty of this research is that pairing VNS and sound presentation has the ability to alter both early and late levels of the auditory pathway. “By pairing VNS with a sound, we are able to manipulate auditory responses specifically to the paired sound, which opens doors to a variety of new therapeutic tools for individuals with auditory processing disorders,” she said.''

Link text: https://www.enttoday.org/article/using-the-vagus-nerve-to-help-hearing/
Link study: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/pdf/10.1152/jn.00832.2018@apsselect.2019.6.issue-8

 

Study Shows Positive Results In Stopping Tinnitus (Deep House Amsterdam, 22/03/2020)

''Researchers Dr. Michael Kilgard and Dr. Navzer Engineer from The University of Texas at Dallas and University-affiliated biotechnology firm MicroTransponder report that sounds paired with stimulation of the vagus nerve (VNS) eliminated tinnitus in rats. A clinical trial in humans is due to begin in the next few months.''

''Kilgard reported that: “Brain changes in response to nerve damage or cochlear trauma cause irregular neural activity believed to be responsible for many types of chronic pain and tinnitus. But when we paired tones with brief pulses of vagus nerve stimulation, we eliminated the physiological and behavioral symptoms of tinnitus in noise-exposed rats.”

''In essence, what the UT Dallas researchers are doing is ‘retraining’ the brain to ignore the signals coming from the nerve system that simulate the ringing you think you hear. After weeks of monitoring the lab rats, the improvements have been shown to persist [study in 2011].''

Link: https://www.deephouseamsterdam.com/study-shows-positive-results-in-stopping-tinnitus/

I find it interesting that they mentioned a new clinical trial, which should begin in the next few months. VNS has already been used in human trials before (with moderate success) but there is apparently room for improvement.

 

tVNS by parasym.co has been available for years already, with poor results. I don't understand what do they want to test more.

 

There's a difference that Parasym is a non-intrusive machine and the MicroTransponder is a wireless machine that needs to be surgically placed in the chest & attached to the vagus nerve. Does Parasym also do timed pulses & auditory stimulation (paired tones) in the same way as MicroTransponder @Mentos?

 

Ah ok, I didn't know they implant the device. Yes Parasym does timed pulses and auditory stimulation