An implantable device that stimulates the vagus nerve may be the future of tinnitus treatment. In 2011, researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas successfully reduced the symptoms of tinnitus in test subjects by stimulating the vagus nerve and introducing audible tones different from the tones generated by the tinnitus. The vagus nerve is involved in several involuntary functions such as heart rate, digestion, and reflex responses. It extends from the brain stem into the abdomen contacting the heart, lungs, larynx, stomach, intestines, and ears. Using an implantable device manufactured by MicroTransponder, Inc. called "Serenity" Drs. Michael Kilgard and Robert Tennaker hope to give individuals suffering from tinnitus an immediate and effective method of treatment by stimulating this nerve. At the onset of tinnitus, an individual would push a button to both begin stimulation of the vagus nerve using the Serenity device and introduce tones that were different from the tones generated by the tinnitus. In the first round of human trials, many patients showed dramatic and long lasting improvement in the severity of the tinnitus.
Researchers hope to continue clinical trials and submit an application for approval to the Food and Drug Administration as early as 2014.
For more information on this research, read the following articles:
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Image provided courtesy of Victor Habbick of Freedigitalphotos.net
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