Magnetic pulses reduce symptoms of tinnitus
If you don’t know what tinnitus is, count yourself lucky. It’s a physical condition that causes the affected to hear ringing noises in their ears and head with no external cause, generally a result of a fault within the person’s hearing symptom.
Fortunately, a recent study has found a solution: VA Portland Medical Center and Oregon Health & Science University’s researchers have found that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) vastly improves tinnitus symptom in at least half of their subjects.
Research investigator with the National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, Robert L. Folmer, described the hope these findings brought for participants:
"For some study participants, this was the first time in years that they experienced any relief in symptoms. These promising results bring us closer to developing a long-sought treatment for this condition that affects an enormous number of Americans, including many men and women who have served in our armed forces," he said.
The study worked with 64 people, all with symptoms of tinnitus, and used a TMS system, which generates a magnetic field that penetrates the skull. Subjects received one pulse per second to their skull for ten days, receiving a total of 2,000 pulses per day. Over half of the active participants found relief as a result.
Melanie West, Chair of the American Tinnitus Association's Board of Directors congratulated the researchers on their innovative discovery. “We applaud the work of Dr. Folmer and his colleagues. The results of the joint National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research/OHSU study are promising for tinnitus patients everywhere.”
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