University of Minnesota Tinnitus Research with Acoustic and Body Stimulation

Umich? Is this a 4th device I haven't heard of?

 

University of Michigan. It's the Susan Shore device.

 

@threefirefour Hearing is not factual information about what is going to actually happen with this device. Speculation about possible release dates is not a good thing on this forum. Please states facts and not hearsay. We would love to know the source of your information. Was it someone that works with the company/device?

 

I would like to be wrong. I'm just saying what I heard. I don't remember where I heard it. Maybe they're giving a very slow estimate? Remember their the farthest behind of the three.

I would also like to give better information but these guys aren't as open as Susan Shore. It's harder to tell what's going on with them. We probably would be completely unaware of this had it not been for kelpiemsp.

 

That wouldn't make sense.
Minnesota already started with the trials ahead of Umich. Their device's functions are similar, just using different areas as target.

 

This is their clinical trial. Umich is about to begin their pivotal trial (trial needed before market). This trial still needs another trial.

 

Hey All,

Just a quick update: I will have another session this Friday, and will continue every other Friday. I am entering the part of the trial where I will be blinded from the results. Thus I do not feel it would be fair for me to continue providing bi-weekly updates. Since I (and you) will all be blinded throughout the rest of the study I don't want to help introduce any bias or have people get their hopes down while (or if) I am in a control.

However, I will leave you with this nugget: I have been sleeping with my ears against a pillow and no masking required (10 days now).

Signal timing will provide much relief to many of us.

 

I am so happy for you . You really deserved it.

 

There is a big hope for us!

 

Thank you kelpie. You give hope to so many suffering people. May you be blessed.

 

This has got to be one of the biggest rated posts on TT. It feels like we're actually getting somewhere!!

 

When can we expect the next update from you?

 

This is pretty awesome. Can't wait for the day when you will say my tinnitus has gone to 2 from 10 permanently.

 

It won't make sense for me to be providing updates anymore. I will post about it when the trial is totally finished.

 

When it will end? When is the next trial to start?

 

Dear Kelpiemsp, I have followed your posts with great interest. Thank you. If you want to stop posting that is your prerogative and I understand. From my own selfish perspective, I wish you would keep us informed through your trial, whether “blinded” or not. We are very interested. Just my friendly comments. Best wishes and thanks again.

 

@Tripstan hi, why is there no news from you? did the trial not work for you? good or bad, could you please give your view of the study?

 

Good question. Also, note Tripstan last seen as appears on their profile is nearly five months ago.

 

I assume he had to sign a non-disclosure.

 

@jay777, @Manny, @Jack Straw Let's hope the inactivity is indicative of improvement, to an extent that he's out there living and has moved on from this forum.

 

This device technically seems quite simple - Would there be scope to copy it I wonder. Playing the tinnitus tone to the ear (no problem) - The signal timing bit is the one to look at cloning.... Surely this wouldn't be too difficult to do.... This could be a very straightforward task if we could get our hands on the details....

https://www.nature.com/articles/nrneurol.2016.12.epdf?no_publisher_access=1&r3_referer=nature

 

Have you got a swag bag? Count me in.

 

I would be careful if I were you RCP1. I mean to recall that @kelpiemsp said that this device/treatment has the potential to make your tinnitus worse. Although probably the most promising possible treatment there is right now.

 

@RCP1 I had similar thoughts at the beginning of this year with the UMich (Susan Shore) device. I exchanged emails with Dr. Shore herself in which she told me to please stop, because if you screw up the timing you can end up having the opposite effect and actually training your brain to make your tinnitus louder. Plus it's not super easy either - you need a lot of experience with microelectronics (to build the device), neural networks (to get the timing right), real-time programming (because we're talking about really short durations here) etc.

In my estimate the time required to get the necessary skills and make a risky homebrew contraption is several months, in which timeframe MuteButton 2 (which is also using signal timing) is already scheduled to be on the market, made and tested by professionals. I think it's just not worth it, better use that time to do something productive (such as working overtime to be able to afford the MuteButton 2, lol).

 

Neural networks? That would be quite interesting, but I'm unsure about how it would work with so few samples. Do you have a source?

 

How can you be blinded from the results if the result is a reduction of a sound in your head?

 

Yeah if I knew the exact timing method and the method to calibrate it I could easily replicate this device for probably less than $50. It would be housed in a plastic lunchbox but it would still be the same thing. Just take a raspberry pi, figure out the audio generation method, replicate it in code,program the I/O to throw a transistor switch that turns a cheap tens unit on and off and some way to touch the tens output to your tongue. And have it all sync to the timing methods.

Or just make the entire program a windows application and have an arduino connected via USB to the tens unit and have it be PC based. There's several ways to do this. The PC method just wouldnt be portable unless it was on a laptop.

 

How do you figure that?

 

The Shore / umich technology works and it will quite likely be available half a decade before Frequency TX is on the market. I intend to do both as they are made available (and in the process use up basically all the money I've saved for my retirement). My tinnitus and hyperacusis have caused me suicidal ideation at their worst severity (my condition worsens yearly and has done so for over twenty years - it was mild in the early 90s and is severe now, and its progression has accelerated in the past few years), so this technology may end up saving my life.

 

That's amazing you know how long it's going to take this drug to be released. Do you have a source for that or are you just guessing based on averages?