Eeg feedback controlled sound therapy for tinnitus
First Claim
1. An automated method for treating tinnitus by habituation to customized sound through use of neurological feedback, comprising the steps of:
- connecting a subject through headphones to an electronic sound player that is connected to a PC workstation;
creating a customized sound profile for the subject'"'"'s particular tinnitus by presenting a plurality of audible sound examples from tinnitus sound library software to the subject;
allowing the subject to choose and refine the presented sounds that most closely resemble the tinnitus sound;
recording the refined sound in a digital music format to create a custom sound profile;
storing the custom sound profile recording in a computer;
generating an EEG signature of the subject'"'"'s brain activity in response to the presented sound by downloading a copy of the electronic sound file to the subject'"'"'s electronic music player, presenting custom sound most closely matching the tinnitus to stimulate the auditory system, recording the subject'"'"'s response to sounds adjacent to but not specifically corresponding to his tinnitus signature, recording the subject'"'"'s brain activity during absence of sound stimuli uploading the EEG responses to sound stimuli and to the absence of sound into the computer to create the EEG signature; and
exposing the subject to the custom sound for as long as practical each day wherein the EEG is actively monitored by the computer, which generates sound in response and periodically tests the signatures for tinnitus and silence and determines if the tinnitus is decreasing and the silence signal is strengthening, and wherein if these changes are not present, the computer slightly alters the sound stimuli and again checks for feedback, and wherein the computer continuously monitors for the feedback signatures and drives the sound stimuli appropriately to habituate the subject to his tinnitus.
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Abstract
An automated method for treating tinnitus by habituation through use of neurological feedback, comprising the steps of connecting a subject through a set of attached headphones to an electronic sound player that is connected to a PC workstation presenting sound examples by software to the subject who can refine them by manipulating a series of controllers on the player, making an electronic recording of the sound in a digital music format, storing the recording in the computer, transferring a copy of the electronic sound file to the subject'"'"'s electronic music player, generating an EEC signature of the subject'"'"'s brain activity in response to the presented sound, sound using the customized sound to stimulate the auditory system while the brain activity is recorded, wherein the computer continuously monitors for the feedback signatures and drives the sound stimuli appropriately.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. An automated method for treating tinnitus by habituation to customized sound through use of neurological feedback, comprising the steps of:
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connecting a subject through headphones to an electronic sound player that is connected to a PC workstation;
creating a customized sound profile for the subject'"'"'s particular tinnitus by presenting a plurality of audible sound examples from tinnitus sound library software to the subject;
allowing the subject to choose and refine the presented sounds that most closely resemble the tinnitus sound;
recording the refined sound in a digital music format to create a custom sound profile;
storing the custom sound profile recording in a computer;
generating an EEG signature of the subject'"'"'s brain activity in response to the presented sound by downloading a copy of the electronic sound file to the subject'"'"'s electronic music player, presenting custom sound most closely matching the tinnitus to stimulate the auditory system, recording the subject'"'"'s response to sounds adjacent to but not specifically corresponding to his tinnitus signature, recording the subject'"'"'s brain activity during absence of sound stimuli uploading the EEG responses to sound stimuli and to the absence of sound into the computer to create the EEG signature; and
exposing the subject to the custom sound for as long as practical each day wherein the EEG is actively monitored by the computer, which generates sound in response and periodically tests the signatures for tinnitus and silence and determines if the tinnitus is decreasing and the silence signal is strengthening, and wherein if these changes are not present, the computer slightly alters the sound stimuli and again checks for feedback, and wherein the computer continuously monitors for the feedback signatures and drives the sound stimuli appropriately to habituate the subject to his tinnitus.
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2. A method for customized habituation treatment of tinnitus without masking sound or using subthreshold sound, comprising:
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matching narrowband sound frequency to a patient'"'"'s perceived tinnitus;
presenting the matched sound frequency to the patient wherein the presented matched sound activates the same population of neurons affected by tinnitus, and wherein habituation occurs when the tinnitus and the habituating stimulus sound are as much alike as possible; and
periodically updating frequency changes as required for maintaining maximum habituation.
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3. An objective method for diagnosing tinnitus by detecting changes in the dynamic response characteristics of the auditory cortex induced by tinnitus, comprising:
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characterizing a subject'"'"'s tinnitus perception by matching the pitch of his or her tinnitus to the frequericy of a pure sine tone generated by a function generator a programmable logarithmic amplifier that controlled in real time by a stimulus presentation and data collection program set the intensity of each stimulus;
recording an auditory evoked potential to a variety of tone pitches, including the tinnitus pitch wherein the increased activation of the auditory cortex manifests itself as an increased slope of the AR; and
calculating the slope of the AR response for tinnitus frequency tones wherein the observed increase in the slope of the AR in tinnitus is due to tinnitus-related activity present in the auditory cortex.
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4. A method for treating tinnitus by habituation to its sound frequency, comprising the steps of:
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determining the “
matching frequency”
(pitch) of a subject'"'"'s tinnitus;
determining the hearing threshold for the tinnitus frequency;
determining the “
matching intensity”
of the subject'"'"'s tinnitus;
determining the hearing threshold for the “
off”
frequencies;
stimulating the auditory system in two series of tonal stimulation first at the tinnitus frequency, and second at the “
off”
frequency;
collecting EEG data; and
giving the subjects an electronic music player having the habituation stimulus downloaded wherein the subjects are asked to listen to it for as long as it is comfortable each day. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An EEG marker of tinnitus suitable for diagnosing the presence of tinnitus, comprising:
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a replica of a subject'"'"'s sound experience; and
a measure of the subject'"'"'s EEG response to increasing intensity of the sound wherein the replica of sound is constructed from a patients subjective determination of sound most closely related to the annoying sound experienced by the patient, and the patient'"'"'s EEG response is measured to determine peak amplitude of the N100 component.
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Specification