humulene and Tinnitus

Tinnitus has a significant impact on quality of life and causes considerable psychological distress. Cannabis is known to modulate neuron hyperexcitability, provide protection against auditory damage, and has been used for treatment for many diseases which have physiological similarities with tinnitus. The objective of this study was to survey patients presenting with tinnitus regarding their perspectives and usage patterns of cannabis.. Patients with a primary presenting complaint of tinnitus in a tertiary neuro-otology clinic completed a 18-item questionnaire assessing perception, attitudes, and cannabis usage patterns.. Forty five patients completed the survey (mean age: 54.5 years, 31 females and 14 males). Overall, 96% of patients reported that they would consider cannabis as treatment for their tinnitus. Patients considered cannabis use for auditory symptoms (91%), and symptoms related to their tinnitus, such as emotional complaints (60%), sleep disturbances (64%), and functional disturbances (56%). 36% of patients had previously used cannabis and 22% of patients reported cannabis use at the time of the study. 80% of patients that were actively using cannabis reported that it helped with tinnitus-related symptoms, such as dizziness, anxiety, bodily pain, and sleep disturbances. Most patients would prefer to use edibles (62%), tablet (58%) and cream (47%) formulations of cannabis. Patients were concerned about the cost (29%), potential physical health implications (53%) and psychosocial side effects (60%) of cannabis. Over half of patients learned about cannabis from a friend or family member and only 22% of patients learned about cannabis from a physician or nurse.. Cannabis use is common amongst patients with tinnitus and current users of cannabis reported that it helped with their symptoms. Most patients would consider its use as a potential treatment to alleviate their tinnitus-related symptoms and are interested in learning more regarding its use. By understanding how cannabis is perceived by tinnitus patients, healthcare providers can provide appropriate patient education.

Topics: Attitude; Cannabis; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Pain; Quality of Life; Tinnitus

Assess the association between cannabis use and tinnitus in a nationally representative sample of US adults.. Cross-sectional.. Population-based.. Adults aged 20 to 59 years who participated in 2011 to 2012 and 2015 to 2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) with available data on tinnitus, audiometry, and substance use.. None.. Tinnitus, demographic information, and medical history were obtained from NHANES questionnaires. Tinnitus was defined as bothersome tinnitus in the past year. Cannabis use was categorized as never use, low-volume use (1-2 pipes/joints per day), and high-volume use (3+ pipes/joints per day). Multivariable regression models with interaction and mediation analyses were conducted. Sampling weights were incorporated to yield results generalizable to the US population.. Tinnitus prevalence was significantly higher among high-volume cannabis users (odds ratio [OR], 20.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 16.0-26.0%]) and low-volume users (OR, 17.0%; 95% CI, 14.3-20.0%) than nonusers (OR, 12.0%; 95% CI, 10.4-13.9%). High-volume cannabis use was significantly associated with tinnitus relative to nonusers in multivariable models adjusting for demographics, cardiovascular factors, hearing loss, noise exposure, and depression (OR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.1-3.9). Tinnitus severity was comparable among high volume, low volume, and noncannabis users. There was no significant mediation or interaction of depression affecting the association between cannabis use and tinnitus.. Bothersome tinnitus prevalence was significantly higher among cannabis users relative to nonusers. High-volume cannabis use was independently associated with tinnitus in a multivariable model accounting for relevant factors including depression. Future study is warranted to elucidate the impact of various levels of cannabis use on tinnitus.

Topics: Adult; Cannabis; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Nutrition Surveys; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a phantom sound perception affecting both auditory and limbic structures. The mechanisms of tinnitus remain unclear and it is debatable whether tinnitus alters attention to sound and the ability to inhibit repetitive sounds, a phenomenon also known as auditory gating. Here we investigate if noise exposure interferes with auditory gating and whether natural extracts of cannabis or nicotine could improve auditory pre-attentional processing in noise-exposed mice. We used 22 male C57BL/6J mice divided into noise-exposed (exposed to a 9-11 kHz narrow band noise for 1 h) and sham (no sound during noise exposure) groups. Hearing thresholds were measured using auditory brainstem responses, and tinnitus-like behavior was assessed using Gap prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle. After noise exposure, mice were implanted with multi-electrodes in the dorsal hippocampus to assess auditory event-related potentials in response to paired clicks. The results showed that mice with tinnitus-like behavior displayed auditory gating of repetitive clicks, but with larger amplitudes and longer latencies of the N40 component of the aERP waveform. The combination of cannabis extract and nicotine improved the auditory gating ratio in noise-exposed mice without permanent hearing threshold shifts. Lastly, the longer latency of the N40 component appears due to an increased sensitivity to cannabis extract in noise-exposed mice compared to sham mice. The study suggests that the altered central plasticity in tinnitus is more sensitive to the combined actions on the cholinergic and the endocannabinoid systems. Overall, the findings contribute to a better understanding of pharmacological modulation of auditory sensory gating.

Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Animals; Cannabis; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Nicotine; Sensory Gating; Tinnitus