SynthesisFrontiers in neuroscience2025
Efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for subjective chronic tinnitus: a randomized controlled trial meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in neuroscience, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- 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
- Application of neurodegenerative disease treatment strategies in tinnitus: mechanisms, translation, and prospects.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2026Review
- Case Report: Repeated courses of low-frequency rTMS for refractory tinnitus: an N-of-1 study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objectives: Chronic tinnitus affects approximately 10%-15% of the population. The long-term presence of severe tinnitus significantly impacts affected individuals' quality of life and emotional state. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive technique that employs pulsed magnetic fields to modulate neural activity. rTMS is considered a promising treatment strategy for chronic tinnitus. However, the therapeutic effect of rTMS on subjective chronic tinnitus remains inconclusive, and its validity is still a subject of debate among researchers. Methods: To identify RCTs investigating rTMS for subjective chronic tinnitus, a comprehensive computerized search was conducted across multiple databases, including PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, China Knowledge, WIPO, Wanfang, and the China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM). The search timeframe spanned from the inception of each database to 2 June 2024. Two independent investigators performed literature screening, data extraction, and quality assessment using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool. Meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.4 software. Results: Sixteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 1,105 chronic tinnitus patients were included. RTMS was superior to Sham rTMS in THI and VAS and had a positive effect on the short-term impact of THI (1 month), Still, this meta-analysis did not observe a positive effect of rTMS on the long-term implications of tinnitus (6 months). rTMS had no significant immediate effect on TQ and LM scores on tinnitus questionnaires. Conclusion: This meta-analysis demonstrated that rTMS has some efficacy in chronic tinnitus. However, more RCTs are needed to validate its effectiveness, to support the effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for tinnitus with larger sample sizes and more follow-up data, and to explore the potential benefits of rTMS in chronic tinnitus. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42024569403.
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