Key TakeawaysA new study shows that 86% of compliant study participants found tinnitus relief using a process called bimodal neuromodulation.Of the participants who found relief, 66% continued to experience lasting improvement for a year.The device, Lenire, is not yet approved for use in the United States.

Key Takeaways

A new study shows that 86% of compliant study participants found tinnitus relief using a process called bimodal neuromodulation.Of the participants who found relief, 66% continued to experience lasting improvement for a year.The device, Lenire, is not yet approved for use in the United States.

Why Are My Ears Ringing?

The study, which was conducted in both Ireland and Germany, tracked its subjects for 12 months post-treatment. It was the first tinnitus study to access long-term outcomes of a medical device.

Participants experienced significant symptom relief when using the device with guidance from a trained professional for 60 minutes a day for 12 weeks (36 hours total).

“After other causes are ruled out, such as a medical illness or tumor, then Lenire can become another successful tool to treat and reduce symptoms of tinnitus.”Hubert Lim, PhD, senior author of the study and associate professor in the department of otolaryngology, head, and neck surgery at the University of Minnesota, tells Verywell.

What Is Tinnitus?

The Two Types of Tinnitus

While “ringing in the ears” has been used to describe tinnitus, many people report hearing a cacophony of sounds such as buzzing, hissing, whistling, swooshing, and clicking.

The most common causes include:

COVID-19 and TinnitusReports have surfaced that suggesttinnitus could be a lasting complication of COVID-19, but these reports are minimal and more research is needed.“Data is still early on the links between COVID-19 and tinnitus,” Lim says. “COVID-19 treatments might lead to tinnitus, but isolation, depression, and anxiety due to the pandemic might lead to those with tinnitus to be more focused on it, might lead to an increase in symptoms. A lot of this is happening.”

COVID-19 and Tinnitus

Reports have surfaced that suggesttinnitus could be a lasting complication of COVID-19, but these reports are minimal and more research is needed.“Data is still early on the links between COVID-19 and tinnitus,” Lim says. “COVID-19 treatments might lead to tinnitus, but isolation, depression, and anxiety due to the pandemic might lead to those with tinnitus to be more focused on it, might lead to an increase in symptoms. A lot of this is happening.”

Reports have surfaced that suggesttinnitus could be a lasting complication of COVID-19, but these reports are minimal and more research is needed.

“Data is still early on the links between COVID-19 and tinnitus,” Lim says. “COVID-19 treatments might lead to tinnitus, but isolation, depression, and anxiety due to the pandemic might lead to those with tinnitus to be more focused on it, might lead to an increase in symptoms. A lot of this is happening.”

There is no cure for tinnitus, but there are severaltreatment options, including:

What It’s Like Living With Tinnitus

The Need for New Treatments

Bimodal neuromodulation as a possible treatment for tinnitus is an exciting clinical finding. However, Lim—who is also the chief scientific officer of Neuromod Device—explains that not everyone with the condition will experience improvement when using the device, and additional research is needed.

“It doesn’t fully suppress tinnitus. Not everyone benefited. Some saw improvement and some saw only slight improvement.” says Lim.

Lenire has been approved as a tinnitus treatment option in Europe, but it has not yet been approved in the United States and is pending further research.

“As a clinician and scientist, I’m always open to novel approaches when it comes to tinnitus management.”Christopher Spankovich, AuD, PhD, MPH, associate professor and vice-chair of research in the department of otolaryngology and communicative sciences at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, tells Verywell. “But my enthusiasm with this study is tempered as it lacked a placebo control and a comparison to other methods to treat tinnitus.”

Future Research

Around 45 million Americans have tinnitus, and a treatment using bimodal neuromodulation could relieve symptoms for some of them.Lim says that the next step will be to study how bimodal neuromodulation changes the brain and determine which patients will benefit most from the treatment.

“My vision for this device is for it to be available for online purchase with the guidance of a trained professional,” says Lim. “I would like it to be automated, mainstream, low cost, and provide more benefit to those suffering with tinnitus.”

Research is currently halted due to COVID-19 and 50% of the lab is shut down. The researchers are hoping to resume their studies in the spring.

What This Means For You

6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Conlon B, Langguth B, Hamilton C, Hughes S, Meade E, Connor CO, et al.Bimodal neuromodulation combining sound and tongue stimulation reduces tinnitus symptoms in a large randomized clinical study.Science Transl Med.abb2830.doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abb2830Neuromod Devices.Neuromod.Lenire.Treatment for Tinnitus: The Science of Lenire.American Tinnitus Association (ATA).Understanding the Facts.Munro, KJ, Uus K, Almufarrij I, Chaudhuri N, Yioe V.Persistent self-reported changes in hearing and tinnitus in post-hospitalisation COVID-19 cases.Inter J Audiol.2020.doi:10.1080/14992027.2020.1798519American Tinnitus Association (ATA).Demographics.

6 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Conlon B, Langguth B, Hamilton C, Hughes S, Meade E, Connor CO, et al.Bimodal neuromodulation combining sound and tongue stimulation reduces tinnitus symptoms in a large randomized clinical study.Science Transl Med.abb2830.doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abb2830Neuromod Devices.Neuromod.Lenire.Treatment for Tinnitus: The Science of Lenire.American Tinnitus Association (ATA).Understanding the Facts.Munro, KJ, Uus K, Almufarrij I, Chaudhuri N, Yioe V.Persistent self-reported changes in hearing and tinnitus in post-hospitalisation COVID-19 cases.Inter J Audiol.2020.doi:10.1080/14992027.2020.1798519American Tinnitus Association (ATA).Demographics.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Conlon B, Langguth B, Hamilton C, Hughes S, Meade E, Connor CO, et al.Bimodal neuromodulation combining sound and tongue stimulation reduces tinnitus symptoms in a large randomized clinical study.Science Transl Med.abb2830.doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abb2830Neuromod Devices.Neuromod.Lenire.Treatment for Tinnitus: The Science of Lenire.American Tinnitus Association (ATA).Understanding the Facts.Munro, KJ, Uus K, Almufarrij I, Chaudhuri N, Yioe V.Persistent self-reported changes in hearing and tinnitus in post-hospitalisation COVID-19 cases.Inter J Audiol.2020.doi:10.1080/14992027.2020.1798519American Tinnitus Association (ATA).Demographics.

Conlon B, Langguth B, Hamilton C, Hughes S, Meade E, Connor CO, et al.Bimodal neuromodulation combining sound and tongue stimulation reduces tinnitus symptoms in a large randomized clinical study.Science Transl Med.abb2830.doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abb2830

Neuromod Devices.Neuromod.

Lenire.Treatment for Tinnitus: The Science of Lenire.

American Tinnitus Association (ATA).Understanding the Facts.

Munro, KJ, Uus K, Almufarrij I, Chaudhuri N, Yioe V.Persistent self-reported changes in hearing and tinnitus in post-hospitalisation COVID-19 cases.Inter J Audiol.2020.doi:10.1080/14992027.2020.1798519

American Tinnitus Association (ATA).Demographics.

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