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Tinnitus linked to undetected auditory nerve damage
261–270 of 440 posts
Re: Tinnitus linked to undetected auditory nerve damage
#262Earlier quoted context omitted.
>The frequency response of a healthy ear isn't flat across all audible frequencies, so you'd need to reference normal hearing... Isn't the normal frequency response of a healthy ear dependent on the shape of the ear cartilage and the configuration of the ear canal and the ear drum? It would be different for every individual. Kinda like how Mom could always hear everything we did and said after bedtime while Dad, with…
>Isn't the normal frequency response of a healthy ear dependent on the shape of the ear cartilage and the configuration of the ear canal and the ear drum? It would be different for every individual Yes, there's some individual variation, but human ears are all generally roughly the same structure, so there are known baselines for how they work. There's about 40 dB difference in minimum audible threshold between 50 Hz…
I've definitely read anecdotes about people with tinnitus listening to noise to reduce it. It may not be the same effect as destructive interference but it seems like there's something at work there.
Re: Tinnitus linked to undetected auditory nerve damage
#263About 6 years ago I caught a bad flu which evolved into an ear infection that required antibiotics, my ears were in pain, really stuffed, popping etc. When I got that under control, I was left with what can only be described as tinnitus, a very high-pitched sound in my ears, almost undetectable in my right ear but quite annoying in my left.
It was there for about 12-18 months, but it slowly started to go away to the point I had to pause for a minute to remember if the left/right one was more affected. After 9-12 months I was only able to hear it if I was wearing ear plugs, and now I need to wear ear plugs and really concentrate to realize that it's not 100% silence, but it's close to 1-5% of what it was and even the "tone" of the tinnitus is more muted.
I'm not sure if they genuinely healed, if there even is such thing as temporary tinnitus (for more than a day/week), or if my brain just got better at filtering that out.
Re: Tinnitus linked to undetected auditory nerve damage
#264Summary of the science:
1. Hearing loss is usually caused by damage and death of the hair cells——the sensory receptor cells that respond directly to sound. The hairs on the upper face of these cells vibratethis physically opens ion channels that change the voltage across the cell membrane. This in turn causes these cell to releases neurotransmitters at their feet. The transmitter release then induces series of action potentials (spikes) in the axons of spiral ganglion cell; #2 below
2. But hearing loss can also be caused by damage to the spiral ganglion cells themselves. These cells and their axons conduct spikes between cochlea and brain. They cells are heavy workers and they are also fussy and metabolically demanding cells—-even by CNS standards. Revving them too high can blow their gaskets.
In sum, two among several mechanisms that contribute to hearing loss and tinnitus.
In a very similar way, blindness can also be caused by two major classes of cell damage and death—-1. the death of photoreceptors (called retinal degeneration) or 2. by damage to axons in the optic nerve (retinal ganglion cell axons). This is usually called glaucoma.
This lovely study from Maison and colleagues is focused on the consequences of hearing loss caused primarily by damage to cochlear nerve fibers and their synapses in the cochlea, not the degeneration of hair cells per se.
It is a systematic and rigorous study that supports the idea that tinnitus can be associated with nerve damage rather than hair cell loss. This is a surprisingly hard problem to nail down.
If you want a good introduction to this work then read this review article by the same group.
Re: Tinnitus linked to undetected auditory nerve damage
#265I developed tinnitus during a bout of COVID last week. On about the third day I had an earache in one ear. Earache went away after about a day but now I have pretty strong tinnitus in that ear. COVID symptoms long gone now but tinnitus remains. 'Volume' is negligible when I wake up but increases over the day. I still feel some 'pressure' in that ear (maybe residual sinus infection?) so I'm hoping it will heal on its…
My tinnitus started days after my first covid shot. Plenty of people have reported tinnitus after covid or the shots.
Mine is very mild but it's still annoying.
Re: Tinnitus linked to undetected auditory nerve damage
#266Earlier quoted context omitted.
And I just realized that I meant the Frenzel Maneuver, which I always forget the name of. OK you need a nose clip, but besides that it's hands free. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frenzel_maneuver
Frenzel is not done by controlling the muscles in the ear. It's done by controlling your epiglottis and your tongue and push air against a blocked nose. So while it's hands free, it's not the same.[1] With controlling the muscles in the ear, one can do it without a nose clip. It's called BTV (or VTO sometimes in English)[2], and instead of forcing air in to open the eustachian tube, you just open it by muscles. [1]:…
BTV or Jan Dow sound closest to what's being described in this thread.
To me, it "feels" kind of like moving the base of my tongue sideways and tensing my bottom jaw (in the same way I would pre-yawn).
Re: Tinnitus linked to undetected auditory nerve damage
#267Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Isn't the normal frequency response of a healthy ear dependent on the shape of the ear cartilage and the configuration of the ear canal and the ear drum? It would be different for every individual Yes, there's some individual variation, but human ears are all generally roughly the same structure, so there are known baselines for how they work. There's about 40 dB difference in minimum audible threshold between 50 Hz…
I've definitely read anecdotes about people with tinnitus listening to noise to reduce it. It may not be the same effect as destructive interference but it seems like there's something at work there.
As I understand it, for certain types of tinnitus, listening to a sound of the right frequency may temporarily suppress the tinnitus for some time afterwards. But the triggering sound is still audible, so it's not like noise canceling.
Re: Tinnitus linked to undetected auditory nerve damage
#268It can also be a symptom of brain cancer. My aunt passed away last year after suffering from severe tinnitus for two years, and not a single doctor suggested and MRI, they all pretty much gave her magnesium supplements and drugs to treat the symptom (tinnitus) rather than actually thinking outside the box and suggesting an MRI to be sure (which is almost free in my country). Even I nearly suggested she does it very early on but thought I wouldn't know better than doctors.
Eventually, other symptoms started appearing and only then did they do an MRI, and lo and behold, a tumor was found at the base of her skull and right behind her sinus cavity, it was pressing against her auditory nerve and was the cause of all the tinnitus. The tumor was basically untreatable via surgery and it was too late for chemo.
Re: Tinnitus linked to undetected auditory nerve damage
#269I’m trying to suss out whats my tinnitus. I’ve had persistent fullness in my head for about 2 years now that I can’t find an explanation for.
Audiologist says I have better than average hearing for my age (41).
The precipitating event in my mind was an Opeth concert in 2021. However, I never thought anything was too loud there, and wore earplugs for most of it. Additionally that was a very stressful time. Also, I have ehlers danlos.
So might be TMJ, sinus pressure, EDS, and/or exposure to loud music.
It sucks especially because Opeth weren’t great performers there. I suspect I don’t like most live metal shows because they seem to make them too loud.
Re: Tinnitus linked to undetected auditory nerve damage
#270My tinnitus started in 2009 during an anxiety period (the worst period of my life) and basically due to an ototoxic drug for dizziness. I had already experienced it after going to a nightclub when I was a younger but I never thought that this problem would remain forever due to a doctor prescription drug. Not only that but in the next years I got two more ringings and now I (don't have anxiety anymore) I can live nor…
Does it also sound stronger for you after a nap or intense exercise?