Long-term inhibition of tinnitus by UltraQuiet therapy: preliminary report.
Masking of tinnitus by noise can produce residual inhibition, a persistence in the reduction in tinnitus after the noise is removed. Typically, this relief is very short-lived, on the order of minutes. This report highlights long-term inhibition of tinnitus by UltraQuiet therapy, a new technique that employs patterned sound in the 10- to 20-kHz range, presented through bone conduction. Nine subjects participated in a study of the efficacy of this tinnitus suppression technique. Eight reported improvement in tinnitus symptoms; one did not complete the study. The duration of the improvement ranged from days to weeks. This long-term inhibition may involve a truly plastic change in the brain at the central level.
Goldstein
B A
BA
Martha Entenmann Tinnitus Research Center, Health Science Center at Brooklyn, State University of New York, Box 1239, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.
Shulman
A
A
Lenhardt
M L
ML
Richards
D G
DG
Madsen
A G
AG
Guinta
R
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*