Method and apparatus for the treatment of tinnitus

In a method of treatment of a patient for tinnitus, comprising implanting an array of electrodes in an area of the patient's brain believed to be a single site of the tinnitus, connecting a pulse generator, programmable as to output pulse pattern, to the electrodes of the array, the pulse generator being controllable as to pulse width, voltage and timing, causing the pulse generator to generate a time varying output pulse pattern of electrical impulses to the patient's brain through the array of electrodes, and varying the time varying output pulse pattern of the generator to change the time varying output pulse pattern based on an effect of the time varying pulse pattern based on an effect of the output pulse pattern on the tinnitus, an improved method of determining a precise area of the patient's brain believed to be a single site of the tinnitus, comprising:

• determining a nature of the patient's tinnitus by presenting the patient with a plurality of tones of varying amplitude at each of a plurality of frequencies and obtaining the patient's subjective determination as to which amplitude matches perceived tinnitus and then presenting the patient with a series of two tones at separated frequencies and said determined matching amplitude using a two-alternating forced choice procedure to determine sound amplitudes and pitches that most closely simulate the patient's tinnitus;
• generating audio tones based on said determination of sound amplitudes and pitches that most closely simulate the patient's tinnitus;
• conducting brain imaging during generation of the audio tones based on said determination of sound amplitudes and pitches that most closely simulate the patient's tinnitus;
• and
• evaluating results of the brain imaging to determine the precise area of the patient's brain which appears to be a single site of the tinnitus.