Chronic tinnitus is a condition with which a person constantly hears a sound, often a ringing, that isn’t really there. At best, it is irritating; at worst, it can disrupt the sufferer’s life.

Although tinnitus has been well studied, little is known about the brain’s involvement. In a study published in Current Biology, researchers reported that they were able to record the brain activity of a patient with tinnitus.

The study was possible only because a 50-year-old patient with severe epilepsy had come to the University of Iowa for treatment. After the patient’s skull was opened and electrodes were implanted in his brain, Dr. Phillip Gander, a neuroscientist, and his colleagues took the opportunity to record his brain activity.

The researchers were able to temporarily suppress the patient’s tinnitus by having him listen to white noise. When the patient experienced the ringing, the researchers found, almost all of his auditory cortex became active, as did other seemingly unrelated parts of the brain.