The AudioNotch Tinnitus Treatment Blog

Scientific research into tinnitus continues to yield fruitful results. The pathophysiology of tinnitus has been studied from many directions and conceptualized in many ways. An interested approach has been taken at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine:

The team focused on an area of the brain that is home to an important auditory center called the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN). From previous research in a mouse model, they knew that tinnitus is associated with hyperactivity of DCN cells — they fire impulses even when there is no actual sound to perceive. For the new experiments, they took a close look at the biophysical properties of tiny channels, called KCNQ channels, through which potassium ions travel in and out of the cell.

“We found that mice with tinnitus have hyperactive DCN cells because of a reduction in KCNQ potassium channel activity,” Dr. Tzounopoulos said. “These KCNQ channels act as effective “brakes” that reduce excitability or activity of neuronal cells.”

This research group conceptualized tinnitus as a “channelopathy” – a disorder of maladaptive functioning of neuron membrane channels, and used an existing epilepsy drug (retigabine) to target it:

‘Tinnitus is a channelopathy, and these KCNQ channels represent a novel target for developing drugs that block the induction of tinnitus in humans.’

The KCNQ family is comprised of five different subunits, four of which are sensitive to retigabine.

Progress continues to be made in treating tinnitus.

Best,

AudioNotch