The AudioNotch Tinnitus Treatment Blog

Here is a link to an abstract on a paper about the effects of Lidocaine on tinnitus. Lidocaine is a medication that is used as a local anesthetic and an anti-arrhythmic agent (suppressing cardiac arrhythmia) . Via brain imaging, it was found to produce both increases and decreases in the loudness of tinnitus. This constitutes proof that there are pharmacological pathways that can be manipulated in order to effects changes in tinnitus volume.

Using a single-blind placebo-controlled design, we mapped lidocaine related changes in neural activity, measured by regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) with (15)O-H(2)O positron emission tomography. Intravenous lidocaine produced both increases and decreases in the loudness of tinnitus. The change in tinnitus loudness was associated with a statistically significant change in neural activity in the right temporal lobe in auditory association cortex.

For many, the eventual hope is for a pharmacological agent that permanently cures tinnitus. Unfortunately, one key obstacle towards developing such an agent is selectivity. The neurons in the brain that are responsible for tinnitus are challenging to target with any degree of specificity, because the brain uses the similar ion channels throughout its entire distribution of neurons. For a variety of practical reasons involving systemic side effects, lidocaine is not practical for usage as a tinnitus treatment pharmacotherapy.

In order to circumvent this problem, some scientists have proposed a local delivery system, such as a small pump, that would be implanted into skull. We’ll have to see whether or not this proves to be a practical drug delivery device. Implants are associated with various problems, including infection and rejection.

Cheers,
AudioNotch.