Sounds (such as ringing, buzzing, whooshing, or humming) may be perceived by someone with tinnitus even when there is no external source of those sounds.
Continuous, periodic, steady, or pulsing tinnitus are all possible presentations of this condition. It’s possible to hear it in just one ear, both ears, or in your head‘s central region. Some people might even look for the noise source, only to find out later that it’s coming from within themselves.
About 30% of the population will suffer from tinnitus at some stage, making it widely reported across all age groups. Tinnitus typically disappears but persists for about 10% of the population.
You may have experienced a ringing feeling in your ears after one evening of loud music. Since the noise usually goes away on its own, you probably haven’t given it much thought. But suppose you woke up the next day with the ringing still going strong. Imagine if that ringing never stopped.
About 10%-15% of adults experience tinnitus, but no effective medication treatments are on the market now. This is because we need to learn more about what causes tinnitus and what may be done to alleviate it once it has begun.
Dr. Thomas Tagoe, sponsored by Action on Hearing Loss, produced intriguing discoveries presented in The Journal of Experimental Neurology. The finding is not a magical potion against tinnitus. It shows some of the mechanics underlying its growth and opens possibilities for prospective treatment.
Phantom noises
Changes frequently occur in how signals are formed and sent in the brain. Signals, in particular, have a property known as “plasticity” that allows them to be amplified or attenuated as needed. Signal enhancement is known as long-term potentiation and plays a crucial role in our learning and memory storage capacity.
Given that tinnitus is a perception of a sound that does not exist, it follows that there must be cells in the brain producing a bogus signal in reaction to a nonexistent sound. Scientific investigations have revealed that the cochlea in the inner ear relays audio impulses to the dorsal cochlear nucleus in the brain. To understand the onset and maintenance of tinnitus, this is where they began the investigation – in the dorsal cochlear nucleus.
We can amplify the signals sent by cells in the dorsal cochlear nucleus. Thomas had reason to suspect that repeated exposure to extremely loud noise could impair this ability based on his past laboratory findings. If confirmed, this would provide compelling evidence that the dorsal cochlear nucleus is the source of the erroneous signals and hence a potential therapeutic target.
They planned a study that would cause tinnitus in animals to test their hypothesis. To determine whether or not this factor is crucial in the genesis of the erroneous auditory signal known as tinnitus, it was necessary to simulate a series of exposures to deafening noise.
To confirm his concerns, he found that prolonged exposure to loud sound inhibited the dorsal cochlear nucleus’ ability to amplify incoming signals. Even more intriguing was that prolonged exposure to loud noises cranked up the volume, maxing out the signal delivery and rendering further increases impossible. As a result, the dorsal cochlear nucleus was already damaged before the sound exposure.
How is tinnitus triggered?
Injury to the cochlea or the auditory nerve is a common cause of hearing loss. Those affected often also suffer from tinnitus. Exposure to intense noise (either suddenly, as in an explosion, or repeatedly, over a long time), drugs that damage the auditory nerve, disorders in the middle ear (like infections and vascular tumors), and age-related hearing loss can all lead to tinnitus.
Meniere’s disease is a problem with the inner ear’s balancing mechanism and can manifest with tinnitus. Several medications, including aspirin, antibiotics, antimalarials, anticancer treatments, and anticonvulsants, have been linked to either causing tinnitus or making it more noticeable. Tinnitus can range in intensity from bothersome to excruciating, depending on the individual experiencing it.
According to the study’s hypothesis of acoustic over-exposure, tinnitus causes a brief period of hearing loss or a “hard-of-hearing” experience, during which everything seems softer than usual. During this time, cells in the dorsal cochlear nucleus attempt to enhance their signal to make up for the quiet environment.
Although this treatment is effective, by the time the temporary deafness has resolved, the dorsal cochlear nucleus will have “remembered” the increased signal and will no longer ignore it. The result is a condition known as tinnitus, which is characterized by the perception of a ringing or buzzing in the ears when no external stimuli is present. Tinnitus, the study concluded, is a condition in which the sufferer is subjected to ongoing unpleasant education.
The study’s results demonstrated that tinnitus is triggered by prolonged exposure to a particular sound frequency. It also confirmed that a high-magnesium diet could stop the dorsal cochlear nucleus from increasing the level and permanently encoding this information as a memory. To put it another way, it prevented the tinnitus from being perceived afterward with the help of that intervention.
Finding medications that can both stop and reverse tinnitus is the next stage. Now that they have a solid foundation, scientists can begin searching for drugs that can increase magnesium levels in the brain or replicate the action of magnesium. However, until this is done, we will have to depend on the established and proven precautions of reducing noise levels or using earplugs.
Infoceptor's editorial team handpicks all of the products and services it recommends, regardless of external influences. Affiliate links appear in some of our stories. We may receive an affiliate commission if you purchase something through one of these links, which helps us stay independent and support our great team.
