METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND DEVICES FOR TREATING TINNITUS WITH VNS PAIRING
A method of treating tinnitus comprising measuring a patient's hearing, determining the patient's hearing loss and the patient's tinnitus frequency using the measurements of the patient's hearing, programming a clinical controller with the measurements of the patient's hearing, selecting a plurality of therapeutic tones, where the therapeutic tones are selected to be at least a half-octave above or below of the patient's tinnitus frequency, setting an appropriate volume for each of the plurality of tones, repetitively playing each of the plurality of therapeutic tones, and pairing a vagus nerve stimulation pulse train with each playing of a therapeutic tone, thereby reducing the patient's perception of tinnitus.
1 . A method, comprising:
treating tinnitus via the actions of:
exposing a patient to a plurality of therapeutic sounds; and
applying a plurality of vagus nerve stimulation pulse trains to the patient, respective trains of the plurality of trains being in temporal proximity to respective therapeutic sounds of the plurality of therapeutic sounds exposed to the patient to reduce the patient's perception of tinnitus.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the respective trains of the plurality of trains occur during the respective therapeutic sounds of the plurality of therapeutic sounds exposed to the patient.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein:
the respective therapeutic sounds of the plurality of therapeutic sounds exposed to the patient begin before the respective trains of the plurality of trains.
4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein:
the respective therapeutic sounds of the plurality of therapeutic sounds exposed to the patient begin after the respective trains of the plurality of trains.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the respective therapeutic sounds of the plurality of therapeutic sounds exposed to the patient begin before the respective trains of the plurality of trains.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the respective therapeutic sounds of the plurality of therapeutic sounds exposed to the patient begin after the respective trains of the plurality of trains.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
respective sounds of the plurality of therapeutic sounds are pure tones.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein:
respective frequencies making up the sounds of the plurality of therapeutic sounds are at least a half-octave above or below the patient's tinnitus frequency.
9 . A method, comprising:
treating tinnitus via the actions of:
selecting a plurality of therapeutic tones;
repetitively playing the plurality of therapeutic tones; and
pairing a respective vagus nerve stimulation pulse train with a respective therapeutic tone of the played plurality of therapeutic tones, thereby reducing the patient's perception of tinnitus.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein:
the playing of the plurality of therapeutic tones is temporally random,
11 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
randomly selecting the frequencies of the played therapeutic tones.
12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein:
frequencies of the therapeutic tones are at least a half-octave above or below the patient's tinnitus frequency.
13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein:
the respective therapeutic tones of the plurality of therapeutic tones exposed to the patient begin before the respective trains of the plurality of trains.
14 . The method of claim 9 , wherein:
the respective therapeutic tones of the plurality of therapeutic tones exposed to the patient begin after the respective trains of the plurality of trains.
15 . The method of claim 9 , wherein:
the respective trains of the plurality of trains occur during the respective therapeutic tones of the plurality of therapeutic sounds exposed to the patient.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein:
the respective therapeutic tones of the plurality of therapeutic tones exposed to the patient begin before the respective trains of the plurality of trains.
17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein:
the respective therapeutic tones of the plurality of therapeutic tones exposed to the patient begin after the respective trains of the plurality of trains.
15 . A method, comprising:
treating tinnitus via the actions of:
selecting a plurality of therapeutic tones;
repetitively exposing the patient to the plurality of therapeutic tones; and
applying a plurality of vagus nerve stimulation pulse trains to the patient, respective trains of the plurality of trains being in temporal proximity to respective therapeutic tones exposed to the patient to reduce the patient's perception of tinnitus.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein:
the tones of the plurality of tones are at least a half-octave above or below the patient's tinnitus frequency.
17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein:
the tones of the plurality of tones are at least a half-octave above the patient's tinnitus frequency.
18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein:
the tones of the plurality of tones are at least a half-octave below the patient's tinnitus frequency.
19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein:
the therapeutic tones have a duration of about 500 milliseconds.
20 . The method of claim 15 , wherein:
the therapeutic tones are shaped by a ramp function.
21 . The method of claim 15 , wherein:
the respective therapeutic tones of the plurality of therapeutic tones exposed to the patient begin before the respective trains of the plurality of trains.
22 . The method of claim 15 , wherein:
the respective therapeutic tones of the plurality of therapeutic tones exposed to the patient begin after the respective trains of the plurality of trains.
23 . The method of claim 15 , wherein:
the respective trains of the plurality of trains occur during the respective therapeutic tones of the plurality of therapeutic sounds exposed to the patient.
24 . The method of claim 23 , wherein:
the respective therapeutic tones of the plurality of therapeutic tones exposed to the patient begin before the respective trains of the plurality of trains.
25 . The method of claim 23 , wherein:
the respective therapeutic tones of the plurality of therapeutic tones exposed to the patient begin after the respective trains of the plurality of trains.