As G Mann wrote: The involvement of the brain is now a major interest of those researching the cause and treatment of tinnitus. Following is one interesting approach. Research on the cause(s) of tinnitus are interesting, but since Andrew is probably most interested in treatment and relief, he might be better off going to a clinic that specializes in treatment and relief. Then, if that clinic affords no relief, he still has the option of going to a clinic doing research on tinnitus. Of course, that is just a guess since there is no way of knowing which clinic in the DC area would help Andrew the most. Gerry
Neuroscientists Identify Brain Mechanism Responsible for Tinnitus, Chronic Pain Neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) and Germany’s Technische Universität München report that they’ve identified the brain mechanism responsible for tinnitus and chronic pain — the symptoms that can persist long after an initial injury. In an article slated to appear in the October 2015 issue of Trends in Cognitive Sciences, researchers explain that identifying the underlying problem is the first step to developing effective therapies for tinnitus and chronic pain. In their article, the scientists describe how the neural mechanisms that normally “gate” or control noise and pain signals can become dysfunctional, leading to a chronic perception of these sensations. In their study, the researchers traced the flow of these signals through the brain and showed where “circuit breakers” should be working, but aren’t. In both disorders, according to the research team, the brain has been reorganized in response to an injury in its sensory apparatus. Tinnitus can occur after the ears are damaged by loud noise or other issue, but even after the brain reorganizes itself, it continues to “hear” a constant hum or drum. Chronic pain can occur from an injury that often is healed elsewhere in the body but persists inside the brain. Josef Rauschecker, PhD, DSc, Georgetown University Medical Center wrote: “Some people call these phantom sensations, but they are real, produced by a brain that continues to ‘feel’ the initial injury because it cannot down-regulate the sensations enough,” said Josef Rauschecker, PhD, DSc, director of the Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition at GUMC. “Both conditions are extraordinarily common, yet no treatment gets to the root of these disorders.” The researchers report that areas of the brain responsible for these errant sensations are the nucleus accumbens, the reward and learning center, as well as other brain regions that serve “executive” or administrative roles, such as the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VNPFC), and the anterior cingulate cortex. All of these areas are also important for evaluating and modulating emotional experiences, according to Rauschecker. “These areas act as a central gatekeeping system for perceptual sensations, which evaluate the affective meaning of sensory stimuli — whether produced externally or internally — and modulate information flow in the brain. Tinnitus and chronic pain occur when this system is compromised,” Rauschecker says. He notes that other issues often arise in concert with tinnitus and/or chronic pain, such as depression and anxiety, which are also modulated by the nucleus accumbens. Uncontrollable or long-term stress is another important factor in these symptoms. The brain plasticity that produces some of these changes provides hope that this gatekeeping role can be restored. Because these systems rely on transmission of dopamine and serotonin between neurons, drugs that modulate dopamine may help restore sensory gating. Markus Ploner, MD, PhD, TUM School of Medicine “Better understanding could also lead to standardized assessment of individuals’ risk to develop chronic tinnitus and chronic pain, which in turn might allow for earlier and more targeted treatment,” said Markus Ploner, MD, PhD, a consultant neurologist and Heisenberg Professor of Human Pain Research at the Technische Universität München (TUM) in Germany. Rauschecker, an expert in tinnitus, collaborated with Ploner, who studies chronic pain, during his senior fellowship at the Institute of Advanced Study at TUM. Co-authors include Audrey Maudoux, MD, PhD, from GUMC and Elisabeth May, PhD, from TUM. Source: Newswise; Trends in Cognitive Sciences; Georgetown University Medical Center For a related story, read this article describing a research study from McGill University Medical Centre that looks at the neuropathic pathways of pain–or, “pain in the brain.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ G Mann wrote: > The latest research I've come across identifies the source of Tinnitus to > be located in the brain, rather than in the ear. The sounds you are hearing > are "electrical discharge" located in the brain cells, according to the > latest investigations. > > I didn't do the research... just read the results... your mileage may vary. > > On Mon, Mar 12, 2018 at 11:58 AM, Andrew Strasfogel via Mercedes < > mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > > > Thanks for the awesome feedback. What a learned group! I will definitely > > check out the clinic at the U of M. > > > > The only logical explanation I can come up with is that the blood rushing > > past some misaligned cilia (hairs) deep In the inner air are making the > > hissing sound. This might account for its constancy. > > > > On Mon, Mar 12, 2018 at 12:09 PM, Floyd Thursby via Mercedes < > > mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > > > > > That would be the tuning aspect, somehow to generate an out-of-phase > > > signal. More research needed! > > > > > > --FT > > > > > > > > > > > > On 3/12/18 11:55 AM, Greg Fiorentino via Mercedes wrote: > > > > > >> I can't think of a way the headphones could sample the "noise", much > > less > > >> generate an out-of-phase countering signal. > > >> > > >> Greg > > >> > > >> -----Original Message----- > > >> From: Mercedes [mailto:mercedes-boun...@okiebenz.com] On Behalf Of > > Floyd > > >> Thursby via Mercedes > > >> Sent: Monday, March 12, 2018 7:41 AM > > >> To: mercedes@okiebenz.com > > >> Cc: Floyd Thursby > > >> Subject: Re: [MBZ] Way OT: Tinnitus > > >> > > >> I wonder if something similar to noise-canceling headphones could work > > to > > >> generate anti-tinnitus sounds. One would have to tune them to > > individual > > >> circumstances but the question is if the noise would cancel out whatever > > >> the nerves or brain are doing, or if it would just add to the overall > > >> sensation of more noise. > > >> > > >> --FT > > >> > > >> > > >> On 3/12/18 5:30 AM, Dan Penoff via Mercedes wrote: > > >> > > >>> Had it for some time, no doubt due to loud music and working around > > >>> industrial engines. Pitch can change as can the intensity. It’s a > > >>> nuisance, but not debilitating, fortunately. > > >>> > > >>> One of my former business partners had it so bad that it could lay him > > >>> out. I consider myself lucky. > > >>> > > >>> -D > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> On Mar 12, 2018, at 3:05 AM, Rick Knoble via Mercedes < > > >>>> mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > > >>>> > > >>>> Andrew says: > > >>>> > > >>>> I recently noticed a persistent background >hissing noise that is > > >>>>> not ambient but exists >inside my head > > >>>>> > > >>>> Mine is the same frequency as the 18khz oscillator in old CRT > > >>>> televisions. Actually, it's a tritone, all around the same frequency. > > >>>> Sounds like a cricket chirp, except continuous. I've had it for many > > >>>> decades. > > >>>> > > >>>> It never goes away. Ever. > > >>>> > > >>>> At least you're not hearing voices in your head... > > >>>> > > >>>> Rick > > >>>> > > >>>> _______________________________________ > > >>>> http://www.okiebenz.com > > >>>> > > >>>> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > >>>> > > >>>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > > >>>> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > >>>> > > >>>> > > >>>> _______________________________________ > > >>> http://www.okiebenz.com > > >>> > > >>> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > >>> > > >>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > > >>> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > >>> > > >>> -- > > >> --FT > > >> > > >> > > >> _______________________________________ > > >> http://www.okiebenz.com > > >> > > >> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > >> > > >> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > > >> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> _______________________________________ > > >> http://www.okiebenz.com > > >> > > >> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > >> > > >> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > > >> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > >> > > >> > > > -- > > > --FT > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________ > > > http://www.okiebenz.com > > > > > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > > > > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > > > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > > > > > > > _______________________________________ > > http://www.okiebenz.com > > > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > > > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > -- arche...@embarqmail.com <arche...@embarqmail.com> --- This email has been checked for viruses by AVG. http://www.avg.com _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
