Specially timed signals ease tinnitus symptoms in first test aimed at condition's root cause

(Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan) Millions of Americans hear ringing in their ears -- a condition called tinnitus -- but a new study shows an experimental device could help quiet the phantom sounds by targeting unruly nerve activity in the brain. Results of the first animal tests and clinical trial of the approach, which uses precisely timed sounds and weak electrical pulses that activate touch-sensitive nerves, resulted in a decrease in tinnitus loudness and improvement in tinnitus-related quality of life.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://ift.tt/2Ci6ulP