Tinnitus, or persistent ringing in the ears, does not have a single cause, but it is often related to hearing loss; a recent study suggests the condition may stem from hard-to-detect nerve damage. Tinnitus can sometimes go away on its own over time, but in other cases, it worsens, with chronic cases lasting three months or longer. Various treatments can help people manage the condition, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a specialized form of talk therapy that focuses on identifying and changing distorted thought patterns and their associated behaviors.

In the new study, published Jan. 9 in the journal Frontiers in Audiology and Otology, researchers tested whether 28 people with tinnitus would respond to a form of CBT delivered via a chatbot-based app called MindEar. In some cases, the chatbot therapy was also paired with virtual sessions with a trained psychologist. With or without the psychologist, the participants saw noticeable improvement after using the app.

Previous research has "laid the groundwork to say yes, CBT is very good," Fatima Husain, a professor of speech and hearing science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who was not involved in the study, told Live Science. Now, this study is "leveraging technology to make it even more readily available and cost effective," she said.