NCT01590264

rTMS Bimodal Treatment For Tinnitus: A Pilot Study

rTMS Bimodal Treatment For Patients With Subjective Idiopathic Tinnitus: A Pilot Study

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 5 (actual)
• Sponsor: Washington University School of Medicine · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 60 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is a novel brain stimulation technique that uses pulsating magnetic fields to stimulate underlying neurons in the cerebral cortex. The investigators propose an open-label pilot study investigating the effectiveness of rTMS in the treatment of tinnitus stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), an area known to be important for mood and attention, along with stimulation of the left temporoparietal cortex (TPC). This is a feasibility pilot study.

Detailed description

Converging data implicate structures of the brain that are important for mood and attention as playing a role in the maintenance of tinnitus; suggesting an alternative rTMS treatment approach that targets these structures. A growing number of studies demonstrate involvement of the prefrontal cortex in the generation and maintenance of tinnitus. rTMS stimulation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in association with stimulation in the temporoparietal cortex has been shown to increase the durability of the TPC stimulation. The independent effect of rTMS stimulation to the DLPFC is not known. Studies in depression suggest that increasing the intensity and duration of stimulation has beneficial treatment effects. However, the field is new and more work is needed to assess the effectiveness of this treatment, predictors and correlates of response, and safety. Recent exciting work in schizophrenia used a bimodal (DLPFC and TPC) treatment approach in pharmacologically non-responsive patients. The study used high-frequency stimulation to the left DLPFC and low-frequency stimulation to the left TPC. Bimodal rTMS stimulation of left DLPFC and left TPC induced clinical improvement in pharmacologically non-responsive schizophrenia patients and may have improved their short-term verbal memories.57

Conditions

• Tinnitus

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Bimodal rTMS	High frequency (10 Hz) at 110% of the motor threshold TMS delivered over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, subsequently, a low frequency TMS (1 Hz) at 110% motor threshold will be delivered over 31 minutes over the TPJ area, according to the protocol below. DLPFC Stimulation Frequency 10 Hz Intensity 110% of motor threshold On 5 seconds Off 15 seconds Total Trains 80 per session Total pulses session 4000/session Duration session 26.6 minutes Total pulses (study) 40000 TPJ Stimulation Frequency 1 Hz Intensity 110% of motor threshold On 900 seconds Off 60 seconds Total Trains 2 per session Total Pulses session 1800 Duration session 31 minutes Total Pulses study 18000

Timeline

• Start date: 2012-05-01
• Primary completion: 2012-09-01
• Completion: 2012-09-01
• First posted: 2012-05-02
• Last updated: 2013-04-02
• Results posted: 2013-04-02

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States