Device offers hope for tinnitus sufferers

The technique, which combines sound and electrical stimulation of the tongue, could offer hope for the huge numbers of people (thought to be as much as 15 per cent of the global population) who suffer from the condition.

UK firm develops tinnitus-detecting headphones

The study is based on a clinical trial involving 326 enrolled participants across two sites (the Wellcome Trust-HRB Clinical Research Facility, at St. James's Hospital in Dublin; and the Tinnituszentrum of the University of Regensburg, Germany) and published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. It was conducted by researchers from the University of Minnesota, Trinity College, St. James's Hospital, University of Regensburg, Nottingham University, and Irish medical device company Neuromod Devices Limited.

Of the 326 enrolled trial participants, around 86 per cent reported an improvement in tinnitus symptom severity when evaluated after 12 weeks of treatment, with many experiencing sustained benefit 12 months post-treatment.

The device used in the study, now branded as Lenire, was developed by Neuromod Devices and consists of wireless Bluetooth headphones that deliver sequences of audio tones layered with wideband noise to both ears, combined with electrical stimulation pulses delivered to 32 electrodes on the tip of the tongue by a proprietary device trademarked as Tonguetip.