ReviewBMC neuroscience2018
Transcranial direct current stimulation for the treatment of tinnitus: a review of clinical trials and mechanisms of action.
Review in BMC neuroscience, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Guideline
- Bifrontal transcranial direct current stimulation modulates fatigue in multiple sclerosis: a randomized sham-controlled study.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2020Trial
- Efficacy of non-invasive neuromodulation for chronic tinnitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Review
- Tinnitus Rehabilitation Through Electrical Stimulation as a Neuromodulation Method: A Scoping Review.Indian journal of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery : official publication of the Association of Otolaryngologists of India · 2025Article
- Effect of Simultaneous Use of Neuromodulation and Acoustic Stimulation in the Management of Tinnitus.Indian journal of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery : official publication of the Association of Otolaryngologists of India · 2024Article
- Personalized Sound Therapy Combined with Low and High-Frequency Electromagnetic Stimulation for Chronic Tinnitus.Journal of personalized medicine · 2024Article
- Repeated Bilateral Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over Auditory Cortex for Tinnitus Treatment: A Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.Brain sciences · 2024Article
- Personalized Neuromodulation: A Novel Strategy for Improving Tinnitus Treatment.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- The Evaluation of Effects of Electrical Stimulation in Treatment of Patients with Chronic Tinnitus with Normal Hearing Sensitivity.Indian journal of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery : official publication of the Association of Otolaryngologists of India · 2023Article
- The Comorbidity of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Tinnitus Sufferers: A Network Analysis.Brain sciences · 2023Article
- Modulation of brain networks during MR-compatible transcranial direct current stimulation.NeuroImage · 2022Article
- Integrative Treatment for Tinnitus Combining Repeated Facial and Auriculotemporal Nerve Blocks With Stimulation of Auditory and Non-auditory Nerves.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2022Article
- The Effect and Mechanism of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Episodic Memory in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2022Article
- Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a treatment option for tinnitus in profound hearing loss.BMJ case reports · 2021Article
- Transcranial direct current stimulation for auditory verbal hallucinations: a systematic review of clinical trials.Neural regeneration research · 2021Article
- Tinnitus and Brain Stimulation.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2021Article
- Animal Models of Tinnitus Treatment: Cochlear and Brain Stimulation.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2021Article
- Non-Invasive Neuromodulation for Tinnitus.Journal of audiology & otology · 2020Review
- Auditory Neural Plasticity in Tinnitus Mechanisms and Management.Neural plasticity · 2020Review
- Does Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Have a Role in the Treatment of Tinnitus?Journal of Korean medical science · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of any external acoustic stimulation. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has shown promising though heterogeneous therapeutic outcomes for tinnitus. The present study aims to review the recent advances in applications of tDCS for tinnitus treatment. In addition, the clinical efficacy and main mechanisms of action of tDCS on suppressing tinnitus are discussed.
methodsThe study was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. The databases of the PubMed (1980-2018), Embase (1980-2018), PsycINFO (1850-2018), CINAHL, Web of Science, BIOSIS Previews (1990-2018), Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (1990-2018), and google scholar (1980-2018) using the set search terms. The date of the most recent search was 20 May, 2018. The randomized controlled trials that have assessed at least one therapeutic outcome measured before and after tDCS intervention were included in the final analysis.
resultsDifferent tDCS protocols were used for tinnitus ranging single to repeated sessions (up to 10) consisting of daily single session of 15 to 20-min and current intensities ranging 1-2 mA. Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and auditory cortex are the main targets of stimulation. Both single and repeated sessions showed moderate to significant treatment effects on tinnitus symptoms. In addition to improvements in tinnitus symptoms, the tDCS interventions particularly bifrontal DLPFC showed beneficial outcomes on depression and anxiety comorbid with tinnitus. Heterogeneities in the type of tinnitus, tDCS devices, protocols, and site of stimulation made the systematic reviews of the literature difficult. However, the current evidence shows that tDCS can be developed as an adjunct or complementary treatment for intractable tinnitus. TDCS may be a safe and cost-effective treatment for tinnitus in the short-term application.
conclusionsThe current literature shows moderate to significant therapeutic efficacy of tDCS on tinnitus symptoms. Further randomized placebo-controlled double-blind trials with large sample sizes are needed to reach a definitive conclusion on the efficacy of tDCS for tinnitus. Future studies should further focus on developing efficient disease- and patient-specific protocols.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.