Biography
Biography: Richard Tyler
Abstract
Electricity presented to the cochlea likely has one of the best opportunities for treating tinnitus. First, we review early laboratory trials demonstrating the range of analog and pulsatile stimuli that can be effective. We include observations on different depths of electrodes. Second, we review data from patients with a hearing implant but who also have tinnitus, including studies with unilateral deaf patients. Third, we highlight important observations from recent laboratory trials comparing the effectiveness of different stimuli. Finally, we discuss options and share data for field trials with stimuli specific for tinnitus. We conclude that there will soon be a range of cochlear implants to treat tinnitus. This will include strategies interleaved with electrodes to code speech, tinnitus stimuli running in the background of speech-coded stimuli, and a short basal electrode.
Support from the Action on Hearing Loss, Tinnitus Research Initiative, and Cochlear Corporation