Voltage Gated Channel and Tinnitus

So I've only done 3 weeks of audiology so i dont have a clue what im talking about and we haven't covered tinnitus at all, but I have an idea that maybe tinnitus is due to hyperexcitability and has something to do with voltaged gated channels. Does anyone know anything about this? Voltage has lots to do with everything. For example, when you get anesthetized, all that happens is a slight decrease in membrane potential. SLIGHT, and you are out like a light. Thats all that anesthesia is! I think that maybe Tinnitus is the opposite of Auditory Neuropathy but when I ask they just tell me some answer that I dont understand anyway. Hmm, all I can say is that I'll keep looking and searching until I find the answer. Having a shit week. Make me feel better! Hugs

 

I think this is what Autifony is working on: http://www.autifony.com/autifony-science.asp

 

Cure us!!!!

 

omg thats it! i was thinking the exact same thing! i bet ya its the way of the future!

 

Well, does this pic make you feel any better? That my friend is a sh*t eating grin! Meant to be humorous not offensive.

 

Yeah Neenie...Nothing like someone with the real life experience and the smarts to get truly motivated. (You'll probably be studying and puzzling while the lucky "quietees" blow their ears out at discos and all).

And oh...by the way, if you figure it out there will just be a small matter of probably a Nobel, and a few trillion $$$ of pocket change in your account.

Go for it! Best, Zimichael

 

The bad thing is that every bit of new research i read is how to fix NIHL (noise induced hearing loss) and subsequently tinnitus. I wonder whether the mechanisms of tinnitus are different depending on what caused your tinnitus. For example, do people that get tinnitus from ototoxic medication have different neural patterns than those that got NIHL? Oh one more thing. One of my lecturers basically said that neural plasticity only really works from when you are a newborn till about 6 months old, and then after that you're hard wired. I dont believe this. For example, I've only just recently recovered from anorexia which was certain patterns of thinking that I had for 10 years and at the time I also thought that this meant i was destined to live like that forever, but small changes every day added up and now 2 years later im fine. Clearly I've formed new pathways. I'm hoping that Tinnitus is the same, that thinking about it in a different way consistently for years will finally send you in the right direction. But still, I will keep researching treatment course for tinnitus and mine will be avaliable for ALL types of tinnitus. If thats even possible!

 

Neenie for PRESIDENT!! You're awesome; wish I had those kind of brains. Thanx for sharing the research; I'm always interested in learning more about my T.

Mark

 

Im with you Neenie. I don't believe that neural plasticity cant happen after that age.

ie what about people recovering from strokes, who manage to learn to walk talk and eat all over again....this is an example of brain plasticity.

has anyone read the book 'the brain that changes itself' (Normal Doidge) ?

 

The problem with tinnitus is that it is negative plasticity, not positive plasticity (unless you like having tinnitus lol - then its positive)

 

ive read that, its amazing, i prolly should reread it!

 

Dont you have any professionals at school who know about this is stuff? (Apart from that 1 lecturer). It would be great to have a better insight (Im pretty much of a medical idiot - after 15 years of arthritis Ive still no idea how it works)

 

Yer i was going to ask today, but we were so busy with other stuff and yer, i still dont quite know how the voltage gated channels work in relation to neural misfiring causing tinnitus so i wanted to read up a little more before i ask a totally uninformed question!

 

I actually did a quick google search in Estonian and found out that depression has to do with lessened brain plasticity as well. Also, it was said that yes, children's brain plasticity is much bigger than adults'. But I think this mostly means that if you are a kid you have a better chance at recovering. Btw! Also I read that stress can actually make your brain smaller. I suppose I only have a tiny nut inside my head then

 

hahahaha, same! my brain must be eeny teeny tiny!

 

http://www.today.com/id/36032653/ns/today-today_health/t/meet-girl-half-brain/

that's real plasticity and she was 6 when half her brain was removed.

 

Neenie...here's an indirect answer and question for a couple of the things you have brought up in this thread.

1. Plasticity...Yeah, I think I can pretty much say that anyone who thinks it ends at 6 months is in the "Flat Earth Society". I can't quite see how so many obvious "brain adaptions" could be explained otherwise. Ummmm...After 56 years of tinnitus and four 'increase levels" within that span, something has switched around in the 'ol brain or I would be worm food a long time ago. (Or perhaps I don't understand the exact meaning of "plasticity" - possible).

2. OK, this is something I have not heard anyone else say in any place or any time...yet. Maybe it's on this board, and I just don't know it. For me it's a biggie, and so super obvious I am stunned that it is kind of a "black hole"in relation to audiology/damage/drugs-meds. Neenie...YOU ARE IN THE IDEAL SITUATION TO CHECK IT OUT!
Simply speaking this is my "hypothesis":

- Obvious...Sound exposure at 'dangerous levels' can and does cause hearing loss and/or tinnitus. OK
- Obvious...Different people get hearing damage or tinnitus at different levels of exposure to sound. OK
- Obvious...Some/many people blast themselves with mega decibels, often for years, with seemingly no ill effect and certainly no tinnitus. Maybe as they age they just go... "Huh??? Sorry I'm a bit deaf mate!" OK
- Obvious...Some people get exposed to one loud sound, once, and they get hearing damage or tinnitus. OK
- Obvious...Some people get exposed to averagely loud sound over long exposure time and get damage or T. OK
- Obvious...Some people get hearing damage and/or tinnitus from ototoxic drugs. Medical, experiential fact. OK
- Obvious...Some people don't get hearing damage and/or T. from ototoxic drugs. Medical, experiential fact. OK
- Etc...
* NOT OBVIOUS - What the hell makes for the differences above??? Genetics? Big ears? Small ears? Brain make-up? "Personality" - like highly strung versus laid back? And so on... Not sure anyone knows. OK

OK, here's ONE thing I think is being seriously overlooked, and I have personal experience with, and I especially tell people about who are on IV Vancomycin or Gentamycin, etc.!

Could there just be a hidden, unconnected, unknown, un-warned about link between "Meds" and sound exposure while plasma rates are still positive for the med??? In other words, does any doctor ever say to a patient on one of the zillion meds with a "hearing signature" (and there are a helluva lot when you look in the professional sections of side effects): "Oh, by the way, until this med has cleared your bloodstream, avoid being around any loud sounds or long exposure time to elevated sound levels."...."Ummm, like what doctor?"...."Oh you know, don't go right back to your construction job without using earplugs, or an international flight for 10 hours in a noisy jet, or a rock concert, or a movie, or your screaming baby, etc."...."Ahhhhhh, why is that doctor?"...."Well, it's just possible that some people, can get let's say 'aggravated' or 'sensitive' in the hearing department. You know, sort of like having an open wound perhaps, and it's best to keep it protected and not full of muck and dirt. So sort of like that. If the hearing area is ahhhh, a bit 'on edge', let's say, it may be good to not 'over stimulate' it with a lot of 'dirt or muck'...Ha, ha...that would be, you know, the equivalent of loud sounds and so forth, that could be like hitting the tenderness with a baseball bat while it's a little 'raw' or 'susceptible'...Just a thought my dear chap. Just to keep in mind OK?!"

Has anyone ever heard this advice from a medical professional??? I sure haven't, and that was even when being given a four week course of Neomycin, one of the most ototoxic drugs on the planet AND by one of the best docs in N. California!

Now consider...Even plain old over-the-counter NSAIDs (Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories) like Ibuprofen have a "hearing signature", let alone the more heavy duty meds that are prescribed willy-nilly by the million every day.

Then consider that typical plasma clearing rates can vary from hours to weeks!!! The recreational drugs are well know...like plain pot varies from 1 to 7 days before you are clean on a tox test. Benzos are 1 to 4 days. Tricyclic antidepressants run 2 to 7 days. And so on. Plus this gets to be a highly complex subject because we don't even want to think about combinations of drugs/meds! (Just look at the clearance equations!)

Then consider that, quote: "Renal plasma clearance will vary with such factors as age, weight, and sex of subject, the state of cardiovascular and renal function, the nature of the material being excreted, species, etc."

WUNDERBAR!!! Just fantastic...Basically, like I said it's a "black hole" of ignorance on a functional, practical basis for the average Jane or Joe on the street (currently happy as clams without tinnitus), who goes and gets some meds from the Chemist's/Pharmacy or a doctor...Then carries on with life as usual (movies, bar, machine shop, etc.)...and then "somehow" ends up with tinnitus or hearing damage...Hello 'plasticity' - or whatever other coping mechanisms are required if it is severe! WUNDERBAR!!!

Get the idea???!!!
And just to cap it off, here's a number...38% of all (US) combat war vets from the Iraq war have tinnitus...Oh, and how many of those combat troops do you think live on Ibuprofen or the like on a daily basis and eat them like candy? (You know, those heavy guns, packs, grunt equipment, etc. - up to 80 pounds (40 kgs) or more....can get to cause a few aches and pains). And you know, war is not exactly a "quite zone".

I think I have made my point...

Neenie, here's a master's thesis idea for you if you don't have a big list of ideas already!

Go for it gal! Take care... Zimichael

 

Zimichael
I agree! If it walks like a duck and looks like a duck -- it's probably a DUCK! This only highlights the deplorable level of attention the general medical community has given to T; then again, maybe the side affects are not highlighted because they may get in the way of profits (truly nefarious).
I recall using quite a bit of Ibuprofen (for ankle pain during racquetball) the year prior to my T; I thought nothing of using an OTC NSAID -- nonetheless, I continued using my headphones while running. Open wound, insert dirt; congratulations, you have T!
It makes sense; definitely worth looking into. I'm still voting for Neenie as president

Neenie, best fortune on your endeavors (and thanx)

Mark

 

I got a flu shot two days before my tinntius started. Doctors said they arent in related due to my hearing loss but I'm pretty convinced that the flu shot pushed me over the edge.

 

Back in January when I was fighting loud tinnitus, I decided to get a flu shot. I had a huge spike for the next 3 days afterward. I'm not sure why but it was there.

 

Zimichael: I think you're definitely onto something there!