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Music to Your Ringing Ears
Posted Jan 1, 2010
LISTENING to specially altered music could help tinnitus
sufferers combat the condition, researchers have found.
Thousands who experience the nightmare of constant 'ringing' in
the ears may benefit from a new therapy that appears to change how
the brain processes sounds.
Scientists took a sufferer's own choice of music - but adapted it
by removing sounds that were on the same frequency as the tinnitus
sounds.
They found that by regularly listening to the altered music, many
sufferers gained long-term relief from their condition.
Dr Christo Pantev, of Munster University Hospital, Germany, who
led the study, said: 'These findings indicate that tinnitus loudness
can be significantly diminished by an enjoyable low-cost, custom-
tailored music treatment.' Around one in seven Britons have suffered
temporary bouts of tinnitus, in which they hear irritating ringing,
buzzing or whistling noises. Long-term problems affect one in 100.
There is no cure, but sound therapy is often used to relieve the
distress, with background music or nature sounds helping to make the
tinnitus less intrusive.
Dr Pantev's study, which is published in the journal Proceedings
Of The National Academy Of Sciences, works in a different way by
getting the brain to reorganise the way it hears tinnitus noise.
Almost 40 sufferers were asked to listen regularly to their own
choice of music.
For some, the music had been modified to exclude the frequency
range of their individual tinnitus.
They reported significant reductions in tinnitus loudness after
six months, which persisted for a year.
There were no such improvements for those whose music was not
adapted.
Researchers also used a scan to measure the magnetic fields in
the brain in areas activated when tinnitus is experienced.
They found the reactions were 'reorganised' in a way that
suggested a permanent change in the way the tinnitus sounds were
being processed.
Dr Pantev said the findings suggested that regular listening to
the 'doctored' music had retrained the way the brain heard sounds in
the tinnitus frequency.
Date: Dec 29, 2009
© 2009 Daily Mail. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved
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