New hope for tinnitus cure

Tinnitus - incessant ringing in the ears - can be eliminated by "retuning" part of the brain, scientists have discovered.

The research offers new hope to thousands of people who are plagued by the problem.

Researchers were able to halt tinnitus in laboratory rats using a technique that involved nerve stimulation paired with sounds. An early clinical trial testing the treatment on human patients is due to begin in the next few months.

Tinnitus is often triggered by exposure to loud noise, which destroys cells in the inner ear that transmit sound signals to the brain.