UCI — Acoustic and Electrical Stimulation for the Treatment of Tinnitus

https://clinicaltrials.icts.uci.edu/trial/NCT03511807

Mentioned in another thread, but thought maybe it should get its own place.

Completion date won’t be until 2021 and despite starting in 2017 they are still recruiting. For anyone in the California area this might be of interest to you.

 

They got more funding:

Brian Fargo, inXile founder, gives $1 million to advance UCI research for tinnitus treatment

 

It's good that they're doing this, but I'd rather wait for hair cell and synapse regeneration than destroy my cochlea. There's no going back from that.

 

It’s a matching gift. Kind of exciting to see some money going towards a treatment.

Fargo’s gift is a $1 million challenge. He will match all donations one-on-one until $2 million is raised to fund the next phases of research and, ultimately, bring a device to market.​

 

I wouldn’t say there is damage to the cochlea. I guess the middle ear is just as sensitive but that’s where this device resides. There is already a proof of concept study where the applied then current by going through the eardrum to the round window I believe. The results were pretty amazing, they were able to completely eliminate tinnitus in most of the subjects. But I’m still with you, I’d rather have some form of regeneration than a device in my ear.

 

Why do they develop so many electrical devices like this?

So far we have Lenire, which is already out. We have Dr. Shore's DeNovo coming, which has been in development for years, and this one mentioned in this thread that I'm aware of. I'm pretty sure there are even more electrical devices in the development process.

As far as I understand, the major goal of these electrical devices is to stimulate either the vagus or trigeminal nerves plus the auditory nerve.

There are no multiple ways to do this so I don't understand why so many of these devices are being developed.

Even more so when Lenire had such mixed reviews.

 

It's a little different to stimulate the cochlea directly than to stimulate a nerve and hope that indirectly you can reach the hearing centers in the brain. This may be the most targeted approach assuming the problem does lie in the cochlea.

 

This is an implantable device that stops tinnitus immediately. It isn’t a therapy device that helps over time like Lenire or Shore’s device. The downside of this device is that it’s invasive but nonetheless, it will give data points which will ultimately help researchers understand tinnitus better and come up with better treatments. It’s progress whether or not you believe it’s useful.

 

Beggars can’t be choosers.

 

I guess it would depend on what sort of limitations or pain that I’d have to live with but if it could turn off the noise there would have to be some pretty significant negatives to stop me from lining up for a little implant.

 

They are creating so many electronic devices because in single-sided deafness it is becoming apparent that a cochlear implant is helping patients.

 

Finally I agree with you @Piney.

 

Lukee, can you share more about what you know about the outcomes of this treatment? Any more you can share about the results? How invasive is it?

I previously had a phone appointment with Dr. Djalilian and found him to be a very smart guy.

 

Tinnitus Treatment Using Noninvasive and Minimally Invasive Electric Stimulation: Experimental Design and Feasibility

 

A cochlear implant already stimulates the cochlear electronically.

 

Until we find a way to restore the synapses and hair cells in the cochlea, I think this could be the ultimate treatment for those of us with noise induced or cochlear based tinnitus.

Very hopeful for the future if this technology, I get partial residual inhibition when I play tones near my tinnitus!

 

@GBB has shared the study for you. Dr. Djalilian is brilliant and in my opinion one of the most advanced neurotologists in the country. If you had a call with him I am sure you also know that he isn’t the cheapest, unfortunately. He is also surrounded by a team of phenomenal doctors and researchers that are pushing the envelope for inner ear disease and tinnitus sufferers.

Dr. Harrison Lin, another brilliant neurotologist also on his team, suffers from tinnitus as well. I believe that this gives an edge because when you are afflicted, the research is becomes personal and your understanding of the consequences are generally more profound.

I don’t believe that’s true. A cochlear implant places a stimulator into the cochlea which in turn stimulates the auditory nerve upon receiving signal from the external device. In this case, the cochlea is receiving the stimulation, not the auditory nerve.

 

Ya this is without the need of removing the cochlea, ideally.

 

It’s an electrode.

They don’t remove the cochlea for an implant. They insert an electrode into the cochlea.

 

Sorry you're right - I believe it is a degree less invasive but please correct me if I am wrong.

 

Yes but my understanding is this is not going IN the cochlea. When you have cochlear implant, the electrode goes into the cochlea, thereby rendering the cochlea useless and sending signals to the auditory nerve. This is stimulating the cochlea and not invasively (besides going into the middle ear).

 

Yes, this seems interresting, especially when we know some people after getting cochlear implants had complete suppression of their tinnitus and the majority had great improvements.

Such a pity all those clinical trials take place in the US though.

 

Has anyone gone to UCI and had the implant put in and, if so, can you share your experience with us? I have been in contact with them and thinking about doing it.

 

I don’t believe the implant is available. It hasn’t been developed AFAIK.

 

It is probably an implant for electrical stimulation on the cochlea by the round window - not in the cochlea. So the hearing is preserved. Similar attempts have already been made in Germany with the Tinnelec implant.

Non-penetrating round window electrode stimulation for tinnitus therapy followed by cochlear implantation

 

Have you followed up with them?

 

Here is another study (financed by MedEl) from 2016 with round window stimulation without CI.

UCI is following the same path.

Tinnitus Suppression by Intracochlear Electrical Stimulation in Single Sided Deafness – A Prospective Clinical Trial: Follow-Up

 

I participated in the acoustic and electrical stimulation study a couple years ago - interesting experience, would recommend to anyone who has time and resources to participate, regardless of whether it helps with the tinnitus or not.

I only did electrical stimulation using external electrodes (on the skull / in the ear canal) and didn't experience change in my tinnitus (though I know of others who did).

Am hoping to go back to try the trans-tympanic electrical stimulation... I would give anything to experience the minute of silence that others have experienced while the current is being applied.

 

They seemed to have great results in this study. Do you know why they didn't push forward?

 

How much did the therapy cost?

Of course an implant would mean an operation.

Still it's great to have something to hope for... some sort of shining light. Maybe this one will work for some of us.