OBJECTIVES: Chronic tinnitus is associated with hyperactivity of the central auditory system. Low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the temporal cortex has been proposed as a treatment for chronic tinnitus. This study determined the factors that predict a beneficial outcome with rTMS treatment. STUDY DESIGN: Forty-five patients with chronic tinnitus underwent 10 sessions of low-frequency rTMS to their left auditory cortex. The treatment outcome was assessed with a tinnitus questionnaire. Therapeutic success was related to the patients' clinical characteristics. RESULTS: A significant reduction in tinnitus complaints occurred after rTMS. In the questionnaire, 40% of the patients improved by five points or more. Treatment responders were characterized by shorter duration of tinnitus complaints and no hearing impairment. CONCLUSION: Tinnitus-related neuroplastic changes might be less pronounced in patients with normal hearing and a short history of complaints. This could explain why those patients benefitted more from rTMS treatment.
OBJECTIVES:Chronic tinnitus is associated with hyperactivity of the central auditory system. Low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the temporal cortex has been proposed as a treatment for chronic tinnitus. This study determined the factors that predict a beneficial outcome with rTMS treatment. STUDY DESIGN: Forty-five patients with chronic tinnitus underwent 10 sessions of low-frequency rTMS to their left auditory cortex. The treatment outcome was assessed with a tinnitus questionnaire. Therapeutic success was related to the patients' clinical characteristics. RESULTS: A significant reduction in tinnitus complaints occurred after rTMS. In the questionnaire, 40% of the patients improved by five points or more. Treatment responders were characterized by shorter duration of tinnitus complaints and no hearing impairment. CONCLUSION:Tinnitus-related neuroplastic changes might be less pronounced in patients with normal hearing and a short history of complaints. This could explain why those patients benefitted more from rTMS treatment.
Authors: Berthold Langguth; Tobias Kleinjung; Elmar Frank; Michael Landgrebe; Philipp Sand; Jana Dvorakova; Ulrich Frick; Peter Eichhammer; Göran Hajak Journal: Exp Brain Res Date: 2007-12-07 Impact factor: 1.972
Authors: Michael Landgrebe; Andréia Azevedo; David Baguley; Carol Bauer; Anthony Cacace; Claudia Coelho; John Dornhoffer; Ricardo Figueiredo; Herta Flor; Goeran Hajak; Paul van de Heyning; Wolfgang Hiller; Eman Khedr; Tobias Kleinjung; Michael Koller; Jose Miguel Lainez; Alain Londero; William H Martin; Mark Mennemeier; Jay Piccirillo; Dirk De Ridder; Rainer Rupprecht; Grant Searchfield; Sven Vanneste; Florian Zeman; Berthold Langguth Journal: J Psychosom Res Date: 2012-06-22 Impact factor: 3.006