Ringing in the ears (Tinnitus) may actually be coming from you brain

Nearly 50 Million Americans suffer chronic ringing of the ears to some degree, about 2 million are crippled by severe cases, experiencing a sound resembling constant screaming that interferes with hearing normal conversation. The actual cause ringing in the ears, usually diagnosed as Tinnitus, is not completely understood. Different remedies for this chronic ringing or whooshing in one's ears have been devised, based on various theories as to the cause of Tinnitus. There's scientific evidence that interestingly indicates that the constant ringing may not be coming from your ears.

Recent research reported by a Georgetown University Medical Center neuroscientist Josef P. Rauschecker suggests the sounds characteristic of tinnitus are coming from the brain and not from the ears.

The brain does some remarkable things we are not normally conscious of, like filling in the blind spot in the image produced by your retina where the optic nerve attaches, or completing a scene of shadows and partial images so it makes sense. An example of compensating for a missing nerve input gone wrong may be the "phantom pain" some experience that feels like it's coming from an amputated limb.

Brain scans seem to indicate that a similar mechanism causes the brain to react to the absence of some frequencies of sound from the ear nerves by sort of turning up the volume to the point that background nerve activity results in a sound.. It's believed that this erroneous compensation is normally prevented by a corrective feedback loop connection between the brain's limbic system and the sensation regulating thalamus. Not all cases of hearing loss are accompanied by Tinnitus, there's a higher incidence of sensation disorders such as chronic pain and depression in Tinnitus patients that might be exacerbated by the same limbic system defect.

Although there is no FDA recognized "Cure" for Tinnitus, there has been some reported success in retraining the brain with external sound sources and meditation as well with nutritional and holistic medicine which could be correcting the limbic system.

The Original Research Paper:

Tuning Out the Noise: Limbic-Auditory Interactions in Tinnitus

Referenced in a broader discussion:

Ringing in the Ears: Causes and Remedies

The observations and conclusions made here,
regarding this scientific curiosity are made
by a layman, and should not be taken as medical advise.