Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Chronic Subjective Tinnitus

Tinnitus, Subjective Clinical Trial

Official title:

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Chronic Subjective Non-Pulsatile Primary Tinnitus Compared to Placebo and Medicament Therapy

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03425045
• Other study ID #: FNO-ENT-tinnitus
• Secondary ID: MH CZ-DRO (FNOs/
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: March 1, 2015
• Est. completion date: March 31, 2018

Study information

• Verified date: June 2018
• Source: University Hospital Ostrava
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Therapy of subjective chronic primary tinnitus could be challenging. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is currently being tested for suppressing the symptoms. However, effect of stimulation remains controversial. The aim was to uncover real effect of rTMS stimulation for tinnitus treatment. There will be three groups, stimulation group, sham stimulation group and controlled group with medicament treatment. The investigators assume that combination of rTMS stimulation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and primary auditory cortex at both sides will be more efficient. The investigators considered a 10% improvement in the tinnitus questionnaire score and in the tinnitus masking to be clinically relevant.

Description:

Adult patients suffering from chronic subjective non-pulsatile primary unilateral or bilateral tinnitus for at least 6 months will be included in the study. Patients will be randomly assigned using a random number generation randomization method into rTMS stimulation group (group 1), sham stimulation group (group 2) and group with medicament therapy only (group 3). Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (frequency 25 Hz; 300 pulses; 80% resting motor threshold=RMT) and primary auditory cortex on both sides (1 Hz; 1000 pulses; 110% RMT) will be stimulated in patients in rTMS stimulation group for 5 consecutive days. Both the patients and outcome assessor were blinded to the intervention group in which the patients (rTMS and shame stimulation group) belonged to. Medicament therapy in group 3 will consist of ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 once a day for 6 months. There will be no medicament therapy for tinnitus in group 1 and 2. Tinnitus reaction questionnaire (TRQ), tinnitus handicap questionnaire (THQ), tinnitus handicap inventory (THI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), pure-tone audiometry with Fowler scoring of hearing loss and tinnitus analysis will be used for evaluation of tinnitus in all patients. Data will be recorded on the day patient is included in the study, during follow-up after 1 month and 6 months. Descriptive statistics, such as the arithmetic mean, standard deviation, and absolute and relative frequency tables, will be used for data processing. The Pearson's chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test, Kruskal-Wallis test and analysis of variance will be used for comparison. The statistical tests will be assessed using a significance level of 5%.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 40
• Est. completion date: March 31, 2018
• Est. primary completion date: March 31, 2018
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 99 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• subjective chronic non-pulsatile tinnitus lasting more than 6 months

Exclusion Criteria:

• head injury or brain surgery

• epilepsy

• organic brain lesion

• Meniere's disease or fluctuating hearing loss

• cochlear or bone-anchored hearing device implantation

• history of suicide

• pregnancy

• therapy with anticonvulsants

• antipsychotic medication

• heart pacemaker implantation

• rTMS performed in the past

• not signing of the informed consent

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Tinnitus
• Tinnitus, Subjective

Intervention

Procedure:
• Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Patients randomised in Arm 1 will receive stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (frequency 25 Hz; 300 pulses; 80% resting motor threshold=RMT) and primary auditory cortex on both sides (1 Hz; 1000 pulses; 110% RMT) will be stimulated in patients in rTMS stimulation group for 5 consecutive days. No medication therapy will be provided for patients in this arm.
• Sham stimulation
Sham stimulation will be performed in patients randomised in Arm 2 of the study for 5 consecutive days. No medication therapy will be provided for patients in this arm.

Drug:
• Ginkgo Biloba Extract
Patients randomised in Arm 3 of the study will receive medication therapy with Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 once a day for 6 months.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Czechia	University Hospital Ostrava	Ostrava	Moravian-Silesian Region

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University Hospital Ostrava

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Czechia, 

References & Publications (19)

De Ridder D, Song JJ, Vanneste S. Frontal cortex TMS for tinnitus. Brain Stimul. 2013 May;6(3):355-62. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2012.07.002. Epub 2012 Jul 24. — View Citation

Engelhardt J, Dauman R, Arné P, Allard M, Dauman N, Branchard O, Perez P, Germain C, Caire F, Bonnard D, Cuny E. Effect of chronic cortical stimulation on chronic severe tinnitus: a prospective randomized double-blind cross-over trial and long-term follow up. Brain Stimul. 2014 Sep-Oct;7(5):694-700. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2014.05.008. Epub 2014 Jun 4. — View Citation

Folmer RL, Carroll JR, Rahim A, Shi Y, Hal Martin W. Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on chronic tinnitus. Acta Otolaryngol Suppl. 2006 Dec;(556):96-101. — View Citation

Frank G, Kleinjung T, Landgrebe M, Vielsmeier V, Steffenhagen C, Burger J, Frank E, Vollberg G, Hajak G, Langguth B. Left temporal low-frequency rTMS for the treatment of tinnitus: clinical predictors of treatment outcome--a retrospective study. Eur J Neurol. 2010 Jul;17(7):951-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2010.02956.x. Epub 2010 Feb 10. — View Citation

Hoekstra CE, Versnel H, Neggers SF, Niesten ME, van Zanten GA. Bilateral low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the auditory cortex in tinnitus patients is not effective: a randomised controlled trial. Audiol Neurootol. 2013;18(6):362-73. doi: 10.1159/000354977. Epub 2013 Oct 19. — View Citation

Khedr EM, Rothwell JC, Ahmed MA, El-Atar A. Effect of daily repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment of tinnitus: comparison of different stimulus frequencies. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2008 Feb;79(2):212-5. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2007.127712. — View Citation

Kim BG, Kim DY, Kim SK, Kim JM, Baek SH, Moon IS. Comparison of the outcomes of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to the ipsilateral and contralateral auditory cortex in unilateral tinnitus. Electromagn Biol Med. 2014 Sep;33(3):211-5. doi: 10.3109/15368378.2013.801353. Epub 2013 Jun 19. — View Citation

Kleinjung T, Eichhammer P, Landgrebe M, Sand P, Hajak G, Steffens T, Strutz J, Langguth B. Combined temporal and prefrontal transcranial magnetic stimulation for tinnitus treatment: a pilot study. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2008 Apr;138(4):497-501. doi: 10.1016/j.otohns.2007.12.022. — View Citation

Kleinjung T, Steffens T, Sand P, Murthum T, Hajak G, Strutz J, Langguth B, Eichhammer P. Which tinnitus patients benefit from transcranial magnetic stimulation? Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2007 Oct;137(4):589-95. — View Citation

Kreuzer PM, Landgrebe M, Schecklmann M, Poeppl TB, Vielsmeier V, Hajak G, Kleinjung T, Langguth B. Can Temporal Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation be Enhanced by Targeting Affective Components of Tinnitus with Frontal rTMS? A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial. Front Syst Neurosci. 2011 Nov 4;5:88. doi: 10.3389/fnsys.2011.00088. eCollection 2011. — View Citation

Langguth B, Landgrebe M, Frank E, Schecklmann M, Sand PG, Vielsmeier V, Hajak G, Kleinjung T. Efficacy of different protocols of transcranial magnetic stimulation for the treatment of tinnitus: Pooled analysis of two randomized controlled studies. World J Biol Psychiatry. 2014 May;15(4):276-85. doi: 10.3109/15622975.2012.708438. Epub 2012 Aug 22. — View Citation

Lefaucheur JP, André-Obadia N, Antal A, Ayache SS, Baeken C, Benninger DH, Cantello RM, Cincotta M, de Carvalho M, De Ridder D, Devanne H, Di Lazzaro V, Filipovic SR, Hummel FC, Jääskeläinen SK, Kimiskidis VK, Koch G, Langguth B, Nyffeler T, Oliviero A, Padberg F, Poulet E, Rossi S, Rossini PM, Rothwell JC, Schönfeldt-Lecuona C, Siebner HR, Slotema CW, Stagg CJ, Valls-Sole J, Ziemann U, Paulus W, Garcia-Larrea L. Evidence-based guidelines on the therapeutic use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Clin Neurophysiol. 2014 Nov;125(11):2150-206. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2014.05.021. Epub 2014 Jun 5. Review. — View Citation

Lehner A, Schecklmann M, Kreuzer PM, Poeppl TB, Rupprecht R, Langguth B. Comparing single-site with multisite rTMS for the treatment of chronic tinnitus - clinical effects and neuroscientific insights: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2013 Aug 23;14:269. doi: 10.1186/1745-6215-14-269. Erratum in: Trials. 2014;5:148. — View Citation

Lehner A, Schecklmann M, Poeppl TB, Kreuzer PM, Vielsmeier V, Rupprecht R, Landgrebe M, Langguth B. Multisite rTMS for the treatment of chronic tinnitus: stimulation of the cortical tinnitus network--a pilot study. Brain Topogr. 2013 Jul;26(3):501-10. doi: 10.1007/s10548-012-0268-4. Epub 2012 Dec 11. — View Citation

Marcondes RA, Sanchez TG, Kii MA, Ono CR, Buchpiguel CA, Langguth B, Marcolin MA. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation improve tinnitus in normal hearing patients: a double-blind controlled, clinical and neuroimaging outcome study. Eur J Neurol. 2010 Jan;17(1):38-44. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2009.02730.x. Epub 2009 Jul 9. — View Citation

Newman CW, Jacobson GP, Spitzer JB. Development of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1996 Feb;122(2):143-8. — View Citation

Oberman L, Edwards D, Eldaief M, Pascual-Leone A. Safety of theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation: a systematic review of the literature. J Clin Neurophysiol. 2011 Feb;28(1):67-74. doi: 10.1097/WNP.0b013e318205135f. Review. — View Citation

Plewnia C, Vonthein R, Wasserka B, Arfeller C, Naumann A, Schraven SP, Plontke SK. Treatment of chronic tinnitus with ? burst stimulation: a randomized controlled trial. Neurology. 2012 May 22;78(21):1628-34. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182574ef9. Epub 2012 Apr 25. — View Citation

Roland LT, Peelle JE, Kallogjeri D, Nicklaus J, Piccirillo JF. The effect of noninvasive brain stimulation on neural connectivity in Tinnitus: A randomized trial. Laryngoscope. 2016 May;126(5):1201-6. doi: 10.1002/lary.25650. Epub 2015 Sep 30. — View Citation

* Note: There are 19 references in all — Click here to view all references

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Tinnitus Reaction Questionnaire (TRQ)	This questionnaire will be used to find out what sort of effects tinnitus has had on the lifestyle and general well-being of the patients. 10% improvement will be considered clinically relevant.	36 months
Primary	Tinnitus Handicap Questionnaire (THQ)	This questionnaire has 27 questions and will be used to assess the degree of handicap that the tinnitus presents for the affected patients. 10% improvement will be considered clinically relevant.	36 months
Primary	Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI)	The purpose of this questionnaire is to identify difficulties the affected patients may be experiencing because of tinnitus. 10% improvement of the score will be considered clinically relevant.	36 months
Secondary	Improvement of depression - Beck Depression Inventory	Improvement of depressive symptoms in patients will be assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) test.	36 months
Secondary	Improvement of hearing loss - Fowler scoring	Improvement of the hearing loss in patients will be assessed using the pure-tone audiometry with Fowler scoring of hearing loss (%).	36 months

External Links

•   The American Academy of Audiology is the world's largest professional organization of, by, and for audiologists.
•   The world's #1 website on hearing and hearing loss, since 1999.