PhD Conferral Mr. Jasper V. Smit, MSc.

Keywords: tinnitus, ringing in the ears, hearing, brain, deep brain stimulation

"Exploring deep brain stimulation as a treatment for tinnitus"

Roughly 10-15% of people suffer from tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Many patients experience various symptoms associated with the continuous ringing sound. Unfortunately, no treatment is currently available for tinnitus. Recent studies have shown that tinnitus is caused by disrupted brain signals. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) sends electrical impulses to the brain to correct these disruptions. Several studies carried out as part of this dissertation found DBS to be a suitable treatment option for tinnitus. However, further research is necessary before this treatment can be applied in practice.