Constant tinnitus In tinnitus a neurofeedback training helps

Tinnitus: Novel treatment option is being researched

Millions of people suffer from tinnitus. In many cases, the annoying ear noises go away on their own. But some sufferers need help. There are various tinnitus therapies available. Scientists now want to test whether a neurofeedback training can help.

Millions of Germans suffer from tinnitus

According to the German Tinnitus League, ten million adults experience tinnitus every year. Other health experts believe the disease affects 10 to 20 percent of the population. Most of the complaints such as ear noises and tinnitus are only temporary. But millions of Germans suffer from chronic tinnitus. There is hope now for those affected: Scientists are testing whether neurofeedback training can help patients reduce the burden of phantom noise.

Tinnitus is currently not curable, but there are measures that relieve the symptoms. Researchers are now testing whether neurofeedback training can also help. (Image: olly / fotolia.com)

Ear noises can have different causes

Tinnitus causes can be very different. Stress is one of the main causes of ear noises.

But other factors, such as mental health problems or certain physical illnesses, can trigger the unpleasant noise or ringing in the ears.

"In 80 percent of cases, acute tinnitus is eliminated by treatments for the respective causes or on its own. The ear noise can thus completely disappear again, but it can also stay, "writes the German Tinnitus League on its website.

Although chronic tinnitus is not medically curable, health professionals say there are several treatments available to help ease the disease and give patients a better quality of life.

A working group from the Marburg psychology is now testing whether a neurofeedback training can help.

There is no cure for tinnitus

"The humming and hissing in my head is always there. In the cinema, while shopping, even when I go to sleep, "said Martin Jensen in a statement from Philipps University Marburg.

The Danish psychologist has been living with tinnitus for seven years - and as a visiting scientist in Marburg, he is now researching a new method to alleviate the strain of phantom noise.

As explained in the communication, tinnitus is a disturbed hearing function in which people perceive sounds that are not due to an external sound event: the notorious ringing in the ear.

"Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for tinnitus," says psychologist Dr. med. Cornelia Weise from the Philipps University, who leads the research project.

"That's why, like a growing number of research groups worldwide, we are exploring new ways to silence the ringing in our ears."

Such a novel treatment option is provided by neurofeedback, the effect of which is now being explored by the Marburg team and their cooperation partners from the "Eriksholm Research Center" research center.

"Tinnitus is a phantom sound," explains Jensen; "The incessant ringing is caused by active neurons in the brain, although objectively there is no external noise."

Affected people watch their own brain activity

In Neurofeedback, the sufferers watch their own brain activity, which is recorded by electrodes on the surface of the head and made visible on a screen.

The subjects train to gain control over brain processes that normally occur involuntarily.

"With neurofeedback, we hope to reduce the activity in the brain responsible for generating sustained sound perception," says Jensen.

However, reducing ringing in the ear itself is just one of several effects the research team hopes to achieve with training. This should also influence how those affected perceive and rate their tinnitus.

"Some people live well with tinnitus and can ignore it, even if it is loud," explains Weises employee Eva Hüttenrauch; "Others with barely audible tinnitus, on the other hand, have great difficulty coping with it."

Serious health consequences

The inability to accept one's own tinnitus can lead to serious health consequences such as sleep problems, difficulty concentrating or anxiety. But why is the disturbance sometimes experienced as so stressful?

"Presumably, those parts of the brain play a significant role in this, which are responsible for the processing of emotions," says Weise.

"We hope that with the Neurofeedback training we interrupt this so-called tinnitus stress network, so that those affected can cope better with the constant noise in the head," explains her colleague Martin Jensen.

In addition to Cornelia Weises working group and the "Eriksholm Research Center", the Department of Otolaryngology of the University Hospital Marburg participates in the cooperation. (Ad)