Despite high prevalence of tinnitus and its impact on quality life, there is no cure for tinnitus at present. Here, we report an effective means to temporarily suppress tinnitus by amplitude- and frequency-modulated tones. We systematically explored the interaction between subjective tinnitus and 17 external sounds in 20 chronic tinnitus sufferers. The external sounds included traditionally used unmodulated stimuli such as pure tones and white noise and dynamically modulated stimuli known to produce sustained neural synchrony in the central auditory pathway. All external sounds were presented in a random order to all subjects and at a loudness level that was just below tinnitus loudness. We found some tinnitus suppression in terms of reduced loudness by at least one of the 17 stimuli in 90% of the subjects, with the greatest suppression by amplitude-modulated tones with carrier frequencies near the tinnitus pitch for tinnitus sufferers with relatively normal loudness growth. Our results suggest that, in addition to a traditional masking approach using unmodulated pure tones and white noise, modulated sounds should be used for tinnitus suppression because they may be more effective in reducing hyperactive neural activities associated with tinnitus. The long-term effects of the modulated sounds on tinnitus and the underlying mechanisms remain to be investigated.

The presence of concurrent illness with skull base osteomyelitis significantly affects the duration of hospital stay and the charges incurred during hospitalization.

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Standardized anatomic dimensions of the OEAC provide important measurements for design of novel in-the-canal hearing aids and specialized earplugs and assist in defining average sizes for canalplasty procedures.

ABSTRACT:RESULTS :Educational Objective: The participants should be able to understand the potential role of individualized electrical stimulation of the auditory system in the suppression of tinnitus in patients with cochlear implants.Objectives: Tinnitus is a debilitating condition in which one perceives sound in the absence of external stimuli. Most treatments consist of masking the tinnitus with an external sound that is louder than the tinnitus. We hypothesize that there exists a characteristic tinnitus signature map in each individual that, when found, can be utilized to suppress their tinnitus at a level that is significantly softer than the tinnitus itself.Study Design: Prospective randomized single blinded study in a unique individual with a unilateral cochlear implant in an ear with persistent tinnitus and normal hearing in the non-implanted ear.Methods: Monopolar electrical stimulation at rates from 40 Hz to 10 kHz, stimulation levels from threshold to the tinnitus mixing point, and stimulation placement from apex to base were administered over a time period of 3 to 10 minutes. Successful suppression was defined as the complete elimination of the subject's tinnitus.