Your Questions for Dr. Josef Rauschecker Interview

UPDATE

The interview has now been published as part of the inaugural episode of the Tinnitus Talk Podcast.

Listen to the Podcast

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Dear Tinnitus Talk members,

We are thrilled to announce that we have been granted an interview with Dr. Josef Rauschecker. He is one of the most exciting tinnitus researchers at the moment, with some very promising research that might lead the way towards a cure for tinnitus.

You can find more details about Dr. Rauschecker's research below:

• Dr. Rauschecker's TED Talk "Tinnitus: Ringing in the Brain"
  
• Information Sheet on Dr. Rauschecker's Tinnitus Research Fundraiser

Simply put, he looks at the mechanisms in the brain that generate or facilitate tinnitus, and aims to define a new neurophysiological model of tinnitus. Gaining a deeper understanding of tinnitus mechanisms in the brain should ultimately contribute to the quest for a cure. Of course, we ourselves don't exactly understand much of this (yet) either, and we can imagine you might have some questions on this.

We would hereby like to give you the opportunity to ask Dr. Rauschecker any questions you might have about his work. We will use your questions as input for the interview with him.

There is no interview date set yet, but it will probably take place before the end of the year. Depending on the exact date and his availability, we may only be able to keep this thread open for a week or so, i.e. until 6 December, so don't wait to ask your questions!

 

Is there a hereditary factor that facilitates the development of tinnitus?

Thanks.

 

We are hearing a lot about bimodal stimulation. How do the DCN and fusiform cells figure into your model?

If it is proven possible to restore hearing in humans by regenerating hair cells, do you think the brain will stop generating tinnitus?

 

You guys are awesome! Not sure how you're managing to keep all these projects going, but it's certainly very much appreciated. TC

 

Do you believe tinnitus loudness makes a fundamental difference to how a person copes, or do you believe that in the long run it makes little difference?

Why do you think sleep has such an impact on many people's tinnitus, including the ability to sometimes reset it? Do we have any idea what the mechanisms are behind this?

 

Does tinnitus fade over time for most people when it’s chronic?

 

How can one person have tons of noise exposure (i.e. hundreds of concerts), have bad hearing, and not get tinnitus, while a younger person with better hearing get tinnitus from a single loud event?

 

Do you think there will be an effective treatment or cure in the next 20 years?

 

Is it true that some people just genetically have "stronger ears" than others?

 

What are your plans if and when your fundraiser fails?

 

Same as my question earlier really:

Do you agree with this statement?

 

Have you heard about other research such as the device from Dr. Susan Shore at University of Michigan, or the work being done by Frequency Therapeutics? Your thoughts?

 

1. What part of the brain does this noise come from? There have been doctors who can touch a certain point / part of the brain that will turn off tinnitus, do you know exactly where?
2. Some medications such as those for Parkinson's disease, anesthesia, etc can quiet tinnitus, why don't we try to find exactly what drugs help against tinnitus and try to create a cure?
3. An estimate for the amount of years till we find a cure?

 

I'd like to know more about the hypothetical gateway mechanisms involved in the generation of tinnitus as well as if hearing loss was cured would tinnitus cease.

 

In regards to your TED Talk: You mentioned that there is a connection between tinnitus and depression/anxiety. Do you think that those who experience long term depression/anxiety before tinnitus are more prone to developing tinnitus?

 

Simply: where are you in your research? Do you have any discoveries to reveal to us?

 

In no particular order:
Does he have any positive research updates (in regards to his own research or in general)?

What does he think of bimodal stimulation for tinnitus?

What does he think of Dr. Robert Aaron Levine’s theory that tinnitus is due to a GABA deficient brain?

What does he think of Susan Shore's findings that tinnitus is due to the presence of increased synchrony and bursting in DCN fusiform cells (hyperactive fusiform cells)? source

What does he think is currently the most promising approach to treating tinnitus in the future (bimodal stimulation, hair cell regenration, potassium channels, etc.)?

About his research:
How can analyzing vmPFC in larger animals with tinnitus help to find a treatment in the future? source
(The ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the nucleus accumbens are believed to be part of the central ‘gatekeeping’ system but I don't understand exactly how his research will help to bring us closer to a cure).

 

Is there any idea why high dose cortisone (250 mg and more) can suppress tinnitus and hyperacusis for a short time in lots of cases? Happened to me and another family member but also my doctor confirmed that he has that experience quite often with other patients.

 

How close are we to a cure or treatment that actually will reduce or alleviate tinnitus whether it’s one therapy or continuing therapy that needs to be done regularly? Please justify your answer with an explanation to why you think so or not.

Do you think hair cell regeneration will cure/reverse tinnitus as there are mixed thoughts on this that is being developed with progenitor cell activation? And your thoughts on Decibel Therapeutics/Frequency Therapeutics?

Thoughts on Dr. Susan Shore from University of Michigan? Do you agree or disagree with her theory?

How can sufferers help minds like you progress?

What do you think is the mechanism behind tinnitus and what keeps it going?

@Greg Sacramento talks about SAGE Therapeutics and their new antidepressant drug that may benefit tinnitus, you actually talk about serotonin neurotransmitters in the role of tinnitus. What are you talking about in layman’s terms?

 

Is there any knowledge on what causes unilateral tapering (fleeting) tinnitus, and why these events seem more prevalent in people with chronic tinnitus? Is it a physical or neurological event?

 

Did you follow the AM-101 trials and integrate the failure of that drug and the associated theory of tinnitus into your own path of research?

 

We can't have more people taking their lives. Would it be possible to have a cure in 5 years from now or how early?

 

For acoustic trauma tinnitus:
Are tinnitus, hyperacusis, ear fullness, and hearing loss all caused by a singular issue in the cochlea?
Would a treatment/cure for one affect the rest?

 

Does it make sense to distinguish between noise-induced tinnitus and non-noise-induced tinnitus?

Does it make sense to distinguish between unilateral and bilateral tinnitus?

What do they say about the somatosensory approach of tinnitus explanation?

Does tinnitus usually have a special frequency or is it more like a hiss?

How can you recognize that animals have tinnitus?

 

If you had a way to permanently reduce the activity of small, individual regions in the brain, could this help to ease tinnitus?
(Actually a real possibility now)

 

Do you plan any trials with whatever kind of medication in the next future?

In TEDx you said help is on the way. What’s the actual status of it, any new findings?

When you think will be a real treatment which lowers the tinnitus loudness (not a cure) available?

What do you think about intermittent and fluctuating tinnitus? Is it a complete different mechanism compared to a stable 24/7 tinnitus?

How you can be sure that the animals have chronic tinnitus instead of acute type?

 

As an expert in the field, what would be his expectation for a cure to be available?

 

1. Radiotherapy for brain cancer patients can destroy brain cells. Could it be used to treat tinnitus?

2. Have there been any tinnitus sufferers who got to hear silence again (as opposed to just getting to the stage where they can hear tinnitus only in quiet rooms)?

 

Researchers at MIT are developing a system of noninvasive Deep Brain Stimulation.

Considering the partial success with DBS and tinnitus, have you been in touch with them regarding this?

 

I'd like to hear an overview of Dr. Rauschecker's proposed research and why he is keen to have us donate to fund it.

Some key areas to hit on, if possible-

Do the areas of the brain you are interested in consistently show up in well controlled resting fMRI studies of tinnitus?

• MRI findings in humans suggest volume depletion in certain areas of the brain in tinnitus subjects compared to subjects without tinnitus. Is the cause of the volume depletion known and what are the clinical implications of the depletion?

Are the area of the brain you are studying thought to be generating the tinnitus or do they represent a reaction to the tinnitus?

• Where do the DCN and fusiform cells fit into your model of tinnitus?
• If they are thought to be involved in the reaction to tinnitus please elaborate why it would be important to study this when it would be reasonable to assume that when the tinnitus itself is eliminated the reaction to it would cease as well.
• If these are thought to be involved in the reaction to tinnitus, why doesn't Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or Habituation remove the reaction? It would seem under such circumstances that the reaction is out of the control of the patient.

How can you be sure that tinnitus induced by salicylate utilizes the same neural mechanisms as subjective idiopathic tinnitus?

Will your research identify targets for treatment?

At the conclusion of this phase of research will you have a validated animal model in which various treatments can be tested?

• Is there a gold standard treatment which can be used to validate the animal model?

What next steps are likely after you complete this research?

Thank you one and all!
TC