The International Tinnitus Journal

Improved Selective Attention and Word Perception in Tinnitus Patients Treated with Electrical Stimulation

Author(s): Jon-Iehi Matsushima, Noboru Sakai, Masahiko Kumagai, Tsutomu Kamada, Norihito Takeichi, Shigeki Miyoshi, Norihiro Uemi, Masatsugu Sakajiri and Tohru Ifukube

Grammatically correct but nonsense twenty 4-segment sentences mixed with multiple talk recorded on CD were delivered to ears tested in 47 tinnitus patients at a comfortable level via a headphone. The signal-to-noise ratios were OdB, 5dB and 1OdBSPL. Patients were requested to repeat what they heard before and after electrical treatment. A sinusoidal wave of 10kHz at the intensity of about 200mA was delivered to ears for 30 minutes by using a plate electrode for ECG at the tragus or a stimulating Pt-Ir electrode on the middle ear. Alternatively, 0.5mA DC was delivered to patients using a iontophoretic instrument. Improved word perception under noises was observed in most patients with tinnitus relief following electrical stimulation of the ear, demonstrating that electrical stimulation improved auditory selective attention. There may be a relationship between tinnitus relief and improved selective attention. It may be electrical stimulation of the ears that produced improved selective attention,

PDF