Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35590399›Full record

ArticleTrials2022

Transcranial electric and acoustic stimulation for tinnitus: study protocol for a randomized double-blind controlled trial assessing the influence of combined transcranial random noise and acoustic stimulation on tinnitus loudness and distress.

Mariana Lopes Martins, Tobias Kleinjung, Martin Meyer, Vithushika Raveenthiran, Zino Wellauer, Nicole Peter, Patrick Neff

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Trials, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04551404 (Transcranial Electrical and Acoustic Stimulation for Tinnitus), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 47% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT04551404 nacompletednot on this map

Transcranial Electrical and Acoustic Stimulation for Tinnitus: A Randomized Double Blind Clinical Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of ZurichRan2021 to 2025Enrolled35ConditionsTinnitus, Tinnitus, SubjectiveArmstranscranial Random Noise Stimulation (tRNS) with acoustic stimulation (AS), transcranial Random Noise Stimulation (tRNS) without acoustic stimulation (AS)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. 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 · 2024
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 4 countries.

Mariana Lopes MartinsDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Tobias KleinjungDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. tobias.kleinjung@usz.ch.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3867-234X
Martin MeyerDivision of Neuropsychology, Psychological Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Vithushika RaveenthiranDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Zino WellauerDivision of Neuropsychology, Psychological Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Nicole Peter *Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Patrick Neff *Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
University of Zurich · CHUniversidade Federal da Paraíba · BRUniversity of Salzburg · AT

Funding

swiss government excellence scholarship 2020.0148
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTinnitus is the result of aberrant neuronal activity. As a novel treatment form, neuromodulation is used to modify neuronal activity of brain areas involved in tinnitus generation. Among the different forms of electric stimulation, transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) has been shown to be a promising treatment option for tinnitus. In addition, recent studies indicate that the reduction in tinnitus can be more pronounced when different modalities of stimulation techniques are combined ("bimodal stimulation"). TRNS can be used in combination with acoustic stimulation (AS), a further treatment option recognized in the literature. The aim of the proposed study is to investigate whether simultaneous tRNS and AS improve levels of tinnitus loudness and distress.

methodsThe intervention consists of bilateral high-definition tRNS (HD-tRNS) over the auditory cortex combined with the application of AS which is studied in a crossover design. The visits will be performed in 26 sessions. There will be 20 treatment sessions, divided into two blocks: active and sham HD-tRNS. Within the blocks, the interventions are divided into group A: HD-tRNS and AS, and group B: HD-tRNS alone. Furthermore, in addition to the assessments directly following the intervention sessions, there will be six extra sessions performed subsequently at the end of each block, after a period of some days (follow-ups 1 and 2) and a month after the last intervention (C). Primary outcome measures are analog scales for evaluation of subjective tinnitus loudness and distress, and the audiological measurement of minimum masking level (MML). Secondary outcome measures are brain activity as measured by electroencephalography and standardized questionnaires for evaluating tinnitus distress and severity. DISCUSSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study which uses HD-tRNS combined with AS for tinnitus treatment. The crossover design permits the comparison between HD-tRNS active vs. sham and with vs. without AS. Thus, it will be possible to evaluate the efficacy of the combined approach to HD-tRNS alone. In addition, the use of different objective and subjective evaluations for tinnitus enable more reliable and valid results.

trial registrationSwiss Ethics Committee (BASEC-Nr. 2020-02027); Swiss Federal Complementary Database (kofam.ch: SNCTP000004051 ); and ClinicalTrials.gov (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04551404 ).

Indexed as

Acoustic StimulationTinnitusTranscranial Direct Current StimulationDouble-Blind MethodHumansNoiseRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicAcoustic stimulationAudiologyAuditory perceptionHearingPsychoacousticsTinnitusTranscranial random noise stimulation

Identifiers

PMID35590399
PMCPMC9118607
OpenAlexW4280538618

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.