Working Towards Better Healthcare Interventions for Tinnitus: a Brain Stimulation StudY (WHITBY)

[Nick47]

From Nottingham University:

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.

→ Working Towards Better Healthcare Interventions for Tinnitus: a Brain Stimulation StudY (WHITBY)

 

[withintention]

It's great to see another clinical trial starting!

However, I'm curious about one of the inclusion criteria:

"Suffering from subjective idiopathic tinnitus."

Does this mean that if you know the cause of your tinnitus, such as noise exposure, you're ineligible?

 

[Cmspgran]

Subjective tinnitus refers to nearly all cases except for the rare 2% in which a surgeon can actually hear the tinnitus or when it can potentially be treated with surgery. Noise-induced tinnitus almost always falls into the category of subjective tinnitus. When you visit an ENT and they can't identify a physical cause—which happens about 99% of the time—they'll typically note it as "idiopathic subjective tinnitus." The usual recommendations are sound therapy and relaxation techniques. After that, it's on to the next patient for £200. You get the picture.

 

[Nick47]

"Suffering from subjective idiopathic tinnitus."

@withintention, I didn't see that.