Neuromodulation: finally the track of an effective treatment against tinnitus

Whistling, crackling or buzzing in the ear in the absence of noise … Tinnitus disturbs 10 to 15% of the population. This hearing disorder would be linked to a dysfunction of the brain, which would compensate for a hearing loss by perceiving phantom sounds. While no treatment yet exists, an experimental device has been developed by the Irish company Neuromod with an international team of researchers to relieve symptoms. The principle ? A headset emits a series of rapidly changing frequency sounds while a tongue with 32 electrodes delivers small, painless pulses to the tongue. “The goal is to distract the brain from forcing it to stop the activity that causes tinnitus” , explains Hubert Lim, at the University of Minnesota. At the end of the clinical trial, 86% of the 326 participants saw their symptoms decrease, and the effects persist for up to a year: encouraging results.