Tinnitus caused by auditory nerve damage, Massachusetts Eye and Ear researchers find

BOSTON - Researchers in Massachusetts are one step closer to finding a cure for tinnitus.

Up to 10% of adults worldwide suffer from tinnitus, which is a persistent ringing or buzzing in the ears which can have a dramatic effect on a person's quality of life, ability to work, and their mental health. In many cases, it's unclear what causes it, and it is incredibly difficult to treat. 

But researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear have found that people with tinnitus may have a type of "hidden hearing loss" that isn't detected by conventional hearing tests. They studied nearly 300 people with so-called "normal hearing" and found that those with chronic tinnitus not only had damage to the auditory nerve but hyperactivity in the brainstem as well.

They say this discovery could one day lead to a cure for this stubborn condition.

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Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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