Otolaryngology: Open Access
Open Access

Abstract

For decades, the use of electricity presented to the cochlea has been shown to reduce tinnitus in some patients. Several studies have shown that between 40-70% of cochlear implant (CI) recipients report a tinnitus reduction. Pre and post Tinnitus Handicap Questionnaires indicate long-term reduction in the reactions of tinnitus patients. More recent studies have shown benefit in unilateral deaf patients with unilateral tinnitus also show a tinnitus reduction. We have been performing laboratory trials exploring different pulse train repetition rates, electrode locations and stimulus levels. We also explore the effects of up to 20 minutes of continuous stimulation. The results show a wide range of individual differences across all variables studied. For some subjects, a single basal electrode with low current levels was sufficient to suppress tinnitus. We have begun clinical trials whereby patients mix different background sounds with their cochlear implant speech processor. Support from the Royal National Institute from the Deaf, Tinnitus Research Initiative, and Cochlear Corporation (up to 250 words)

Biography

Rich was trained as a clinical Audiologist at The University of Western Ontario and then as a Psychoacoustician at The University of Iowa. He worked initially at the Institute of Hearing Research in the United Kingdom. Rich has been a visiting scholar in China, South Africa, Australia, Sweden, Poland, Germany and France. His main areas of interest currently include tinnitus and cochlear implants. He edited a book, Cochlear Implants: Audiological Foundations, and several on tinnitus, including Tinnitus Handbook, Tinnitus Treatments, and A Consumer Handbook of Tinnitus. He has been the co- principal investigator of a 20-year NIH-funded study of cochlear implants, and is particularly interested in binaural hearing.