NCT06628414

WHITBY: Working Towards Better Healthcare Interventions for Tinnitus: a Brain Stimulation studY

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) for Tinnitus - Effects of Multiple Treatment Sessions: a Randomised-controlled Pilot Study

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 40 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Nottingham · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Tinnitus - the awareness of sound without any outside source - affects around 15% of people and can cause anxiety and depression. Treatment options are limited and do not address tinnitus directly (e.g., reduce its loudness). To do that, we must change brain activity causing tinnitus. Low-dose electrical stimulation, using a technique called transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), is a promising approach. The technique is safe and easy to administer. Several small studies have tested tDCS for tinnitus showing some benefits. To assess whether these benefits will generalise to other patients, we need to conduct a randomised controlled trial - a large, rigorously controlled experiment based on prior agreed procedures. Clinical trials are expensive and time-consuming to run and thus require meticulous pilot work to establish the most effective treatment regimens and the most sensitive measures of treatment outcome. The current study aims to provide such pilot information for a clinical trial of tDCS treatment of tinnitus. Using a total of 40 patients, we will establish how to best to administer tDCS and measure resulting changes in tinnitus perception and associated brain activity. The current study is a crucial first step towards determining whether or not tDCS can effectively treat tinnitus.

Conditions

• Tinnitus

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	transcranial Direct Current Stimulation	transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-12-01
• Primary completion: 2026-09-01
• Completion: 2026-09-01
• First posted: 2024-10-08
• Last updated: 2026-02-12

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United Kingdom