Bimodal Neuromodulation for Tinnitus – Talking Tinnitus with Dr. Ross O’Neill

For the millions living with tinnitus, the constant ringing, buzzing, or hissing in the ears can feel impossible to escape.

Treatments like hearing aids and sound therapy can help some patients, but many still search for solutions. This is where bimodal neuromodulation, the innovative new approach that is transforming tinnitus treatment, comes in.

In this “Bimodal Neuromodulation for Tinnitus” episode of Talking Tinnitus episode, Ross O’Neill, PhD, Founder and CEO of Neuromod (creators of Lenire), explains how bimodal neuromodulation for tinnitus works.

1. What is Tinnitus?
2. What is Bimodal Neuromodulation?
3. How Does Bimodal Neuromodulation for Tinnitus Work?
4. Is Bimodal Neuromodulation for Tinnitus More Effective?
5. Why Bimodal for Tinnitus?
6. What is Lenire?
7. Why is Bimodal a Leap Forward for Tinnitus Treatment?

1. What is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is when a person hears persistent noise when there is no external sound. Tinnitus is commonly referred to as ringing in the ears but there are many types of tinnitus. These types of tinnitus are broken into subjective and objective tinnitus.

Subjective tinnitus is the most common type and accounts for 99% of all cases. Only the person experiencing subjective tinnitus can hear it.
Objective tinnitus is much rarer, occurring when there is a physical part of their body contributing to making the sound. This type can be measured by an audiologist.

There are many rare variants of tinnitus sounds, but the more common types of tinnitus sounds are:

Ringing in the ears tinnitus
Hissing, whooshing, or crackling sounds
Pulsatile tinnitus, which “pulses in the same rhythm as the heartbeat”
Somatic tinnitus can shift in pitch, loudness, or location depending on head, neck, or jaw movement

2. What is Bimodal Neuromodulation?

While it sounds complex, the concept is surprisingly simple. Ross O’Neill explains:

“Neuromodulation is altering the brain’s activity through targeted stimulation. It does this by harnessing a process in the brain called neuroplasticity—how we learn and relearn over the course of our lifetime.”

Bimodal neuromodulation combines two forms of stimulation at the same time, which makes it more powerful than single-mode therapies.

3. How Does Bimodal Neuromodulation for Tinnitus Work?

Lenire’s bimodal stimulation pairs sound stimulation through Bluetooth headphones with mild pulses on the tongue. When these two stimuli happen simultaneously, the brain naturally pays more attention.

“The brain, if two things happen at the same time, subconsciously attends to it. So the brain says, this must be an important signal happening on two senses at the same time—let’s pay attention to it,” explains O’Neill.

By repeatedly pairing sound with tongue stimulation, the brain relearns to focus on other sounds and less on the tinnitus noise. This gradually reduces the brain’s attention to tinnitus.

4. Is Bimodal Neuromodulation a More Effective Tinnitus Treatment?

Bimodal stimulation has been proven as one of the most effective ways to treat tinnitus. Lenire has been proven in both clinical trials and with real world patients. Ross explains the background to the science behind bimodal neuromodulation:

“If you put two signals at the same time, it’s just more powerful for the brain. This approach dates right back to Pavlov’s dogs and was later used by neuroscientists to hardwire effects into the brain.”

This neuroplasticity-based training helps patients shift their brain’s attention away from tinnitus over time. The attention shift is something that traditional sound therapy for tinnitus cannot achieve.

5. Why Bimodal Neuromodulation for Tinnitus?

While bimodal stimulation can be used for other conditions such as anxiety, Dr. Ross O’Neill explains the focus on bimodal neuromodulation for tinnitus.

“Tinnitus is such a huge unmet need, so we decided to focus on that first,” says O’Neill.

Millions of people live with tinnitus. In fact, 15% of the global adult population is living with tinnitus. The American Tinnitus Association, one of the largest tinnitus non-profits in the world, estimates 50 million Americans are living with tinnitus.

As well as this, tinnitus is the #1 service-connected disability for US Veterans. This has been the case since the Vietnam War in the 1950s.

6. What is Lenire? Bimodal Neuromodulation for Tinnitus

Lenire is the first and only FDA-approved, non‑invasive bimodal neuromodulation device. The device gives relief from tinnitus by retraining the brain’s response to tinnitus.

Lenire combines audio stimulation with mild pulses to the tongue. This dual mode approach retrains the brain to reduce focus on tinnitus.

Clinical trial data support the safety and effectiveness of Lenire.

During TENT‑A1, nearly 80% of patients reported a clinically meaningful reduction in tinnitus that lasted at least 12 months. a significant reduction in tinnitus severity that lasted at least 12 months. 
In TENT‑A2, around 91% of patients reported a clinically meaningful reduction in tinnitus that lasted at least 12 months.
TENT-A3, a controlled clinical trial, saw 70% of patients with moderate or worse tinnitus report clinically meaningful improvement with Lenire. This was compared against the minimal changes with sound-only therapy.
Real-world data from 220 patients also showed that 91.5% had clinically meaningful relief from tinnitus 12 weeks of Lenire. 
Patients typically use Lenire at home for two 30-minute sessions per day, for a period recommended by their qualified audiologist.

Interested to learn more about Lenire’s trial design? You can read Clinical Trials for Tinnitus Treatments Explained.

Why is Bimodal a Leap Forward for Tinnitus Treatment?

Bimodal targets the brain directly by retraining how it prioritises tinnitus sounds
Lenire been clinically proven and FDA-approved for the treatment of tinnitus
Offers hope for patients who haven’t found relief with other treatments. These include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT), and hearing aids.

Bimodal Neuromodulation for Tinnitus | Key Takeaways

Bimodal stimulation is considered more powerful than single-mode approaches. This is owed to how the brain processes simultaneous inputs.
Lenire is the first FDA-approved bimodal neuromodulation device for tinnitus treatment.
This groundbreaking device leverages neuroplasticity to help the brain reduce its focus on tinnitus over time.
If you’ve been struggling with tinnitus, bimodal neuromodulation for tinnitus might finally offer the relief you’ve been looking for.

As with every episode of Talking Tinnitus, tinnitus patients are advised to schedule a tinnitus assessment with a qualified tinnitus care professional.

Lenire is exclusively available through Lenire-certified audiologists who specialize in treating tinnitus patients. You can find a clinic near you using Lenire’s Find a Clinic Map.