SIX TH INT ERNATIONAL TINNITUS RESEARCH I NI T IATIVE CONF ERENCE
The Tinnitus Research Initiative (TRI) has been a driving force for tinnitus research. For the past six years, this European-based foundation has sponsored, funded and presented scientific research on tinnitus. New drugs, deep brain stimulation, surgical approaches, psychological therapy – TRI has left no stone left unturned in its aggressive quest to find a tinnitus cure. This year’s conference was held in Bruges, Belgium and was appropriately themed “The Art and Science of Innovation.” I can tell you it lived up to that concept.
The Art and Innovation of Tinnitus Research
By Scott C. Mitchell, J.D., ATA Board of Directors If conventional medicine could effectively treat tinnitus,
such conferences would not be necessary. But for many, tinnitus does not respond to off-the-shelf drugs or current clinical treatments. Why is this such a tough nut to crack? One answer might be that tinnitus has many causes and many aspects in different patients. Another consideration is that recent research has shown that tinnitus is a com- plex brain issue, not just an auditory malady. And the brain, with all of its crackling synapses, layered rhythms and interactive parts, just gets more complex the more we learn about it.
Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes first said, “When you have eliminated the impos- sible, whatever remains, however improb- able, must be the truth.” The scientists who presented their research at this conference showed that when you eliminate conven- tional medical treatment as a cure for tinnitus, then whatever remains, however improbable, needs to be investigated.
The Main Event
Approximately 300 researchers, audiolo- gists, and medical doctors attended the conference. Six years ago about 70 attended the TRI conference, so atten- dance alone shows the growing interest and resources of tinnitus
research. The keenest minds on cutting-edge tinnitus research came from many countries to share ideas. Dirk De Ridder, M.D., Ph.D., Ana Belén
Elgoyhen, Ph.D., Berthold Langguth, M.D., Ph.D., Paul Van de Heyning, M.D., Ph.D., and Sven Vanneste, M.D., Ph.D., organized the conference into a mixture of general sessions, smaller group lectures, and presen- tations of scientific papers on posters. And with each gathering – questions, always questions! A sense of urgency to find a cure as soon as possible seemed to drive the proceedings. Dr. De Ridder, a pioneer of deep brain stimulation for tinnitus by surgically-implanted electrodes and ATA Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) member, quoted Napoleon’s maxim: “First you engage, and then you see what happens,” as a way to approach tinnitus research.
The organizers also invited the famed artist Jan Fabre to discuss how art is created. Dr. De Ridder asked, “Do you start work first and see where it takes you, (First engage, then see what happens) or do you contemplate until a creative vision forms in your mind?” In other words, is the cure for tinnitus a hideously complicated Rubik’s Cube of false paths and endless roadblocks, or is it something so fundamental that the answer will come with a flash of inspired scientific creativity?
ATA is a Major Player
Several additional past and current members of SAC made significant contributions as well. Most recent past SAC Chair Anthony T. Cacace, Ph.D., moderated the session on functional imaging, on ways we can “see” tinnitus in the brain; former SAC Chair Richard Tyler, Ph.D., managed the session on treatments; New SAC Chair Susan E. Shore, Ph.D., led the presentation on pathophysiology; and former SAC Chair Richard J. Salvi, Ph.D., contributed to presentations on the genetics of tinnitus and the effects of certain chemical compounds on the part of the brain that experiences anxiety
“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”
~ Sherlock Holmes, The Sign of the Four 24 Tinnitus Today | Summer 2012
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