Device and Method for Hearing Threshold-Adapted Acoustic Stimulation

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This patent describes a device and method for providing acoustic stimulation to patients with hearing conditions such as tinnitus. Unlike conventional approaches that use fixed frequencies, this system personalizes acoustic therapy by adapting the frequencies and intervals of the therapy tones based on the individual's hearing threshold and auditory filter bandwidths. By optimizing the overlap or spacing between the activated neural subpopulations in the brain, the system aims to more effectively desynchronize pathological neural activity, which can alleviate tinnitus and potentially other neurological or psychiatric conditions characterized by abnormal neuronal synchronization.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Treatment of chronic tinnitus in individuals with varying degrees of hearing loss.
• Personalized sound therapy for hearing rehabilitation.
• Non-invasive neuromodulation for psychiatric or neurological disorders associated with abnormal neural synchrony (e.g., depression, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, migraines).
• Integration into hearing aids, headphones, or standalone acoustic therapy devices for ongoing at-home treatment.
• Diagnostic and monitoring tool for assessing neural response and tuning therapeutic sound parameters.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Provides individualized, hearing-threshold adapted acoustic stimulation for improved therapy effectiveness, especially in tinnitus patients.
• Optimizes the frequency and spacing of therapy tones to target patient-specific neural populations for more precise desynchronization.
• Non-invasive approach that can be applied externally using headphones or speakers, increasing patient comfort and compliance.
• Adaptable to various hearing profiles and clinical needs, allowing for broader applicability across patient populations.
• Demonstrated potential to produce faster and more sustained therapeutic improvements versus non-adaptive, one-size-fits-all approaches.
• Automatic calibration and monitoring reduce the need for repeated manual adjustments by clinicians, improving efficiency and personalization.

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

A device for stimulation of a patient with acoustic stimulation signals includes a stimulation unit for generating acoustic stimulation signals and a control unit for controlling the stimulation unit. The control unit is configured so that it determines a bandwidth of an auditory filter with a frequency of a predetermined tone as a center frequency, wherein this bandwidth is a reference bandwidth. The control unit determines a frequency of a first acoustic therapy signal such that a measure of coverage between the reference bandwidth around the frequency of the predetermined tone and a first bandwidth of an auditory filter with the frequency of the first acoustic therapy signal as a center frequency assumes a predetermined first value, and controls the stimulation unit such that the stimulation unit generates the first acoustic therapy signal.