Introduction

What is important?
1. Research.  

2. Advice.

3. Support.

1. Research into the mechanisms of hearing, the function of neurons the cochlea, the auditory pathways, and equally importantly, the middle ear.

The potential significance of the middle ear in tinnitus is often ignored, perhaps because it is not such a  glamorous area for research.  ...But it is a mistake to overlook the obvious.  The muscles supporting the three bones in my diagram might have an important role to play in tinnitus aggravation.  The oval window might be a key component to tinnitus production.  OK. Perhaps it is not the most likely source, but it isn't such a remote possibility either, and if we discover that tinnitus is even partly a simple middle ear problem rather than a complex neurological inner ear problem , we have the technology to fix it. There are good arguments against this possibility and they are discussed elsewhere on this site.  But the fact remains: If tinnitus is due to synaptic damage to the eighth (auditory) nerve of the brain, there is nothing we can do about it. Knowing the problem does not provide us with a solution.  If, on the other hand, tinnitus is caused by a defect in the middle ear, or at the interface between the middle and inner ear, we do have the technology and something can be done today.

I would like to press for more research into the simpler possibilities.  

~Tony~