Here is a link to a news clip that recently aired in Philadelphia on tinnitus: http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/health-trends%3A-ibuprofen%2C-tinnitus Listen towards the end of the clip... |
Interesting. How do they know rats are suffering tinnitus? Well, it's known that tinnitus is caused by false signals from the nerves in the ear to the brain. I would assume that they create the tinnitus in the same way that humans develop it - by loud noise, and that they have some way of measuring the nerve impulses in question both before and after treatment. But I agree, it would be nice if they had told us that. It is, however, only a news story not a journal article. |
Good news if you are a rat, certainly. I remember hearing a researcher who had developed a promising cancer treatment in rats saying, "All I'm wiling to claim is that if you're a rat with certain cancers, we've got something very promising to offer you." Too often, these advances don't translate across species; I wish the science press would be more cautious, sometimes. As a mild sufferer, I'll hope this one works for rats and humans! J |
