Tinnitus Treatment Using Noninvasive and Minimally Invasive Electric Stimulation: Experimental Design and Feasibility.
Fan-Gang Zeng, Matthew Richardson, Phillip Tran and 2 others
PMID 30803416WHAT IT FOUND
Short-term electric stimulation reduced tinnitus in some people but not all, and caused tingling or pain.
Minimally invasive round-window stimulation produced longer temporary relief in two participants. This pilot suggests parameters need testing, not that treatment works.
Key findings
01Noninvasive electric stimulation had variable short-term effects: two subjects reported no effect, T2 had tinnitus disappear after stimulation, and the bilateral tiptrode condition produced total suppression during and after stimulation.
02Round-window minimally invasive stimulation produced prolonged residual inhibition: 5 h in T10 after 10 min of stimulation and 20 h in T3 after 3 min of stimulation.
03All 10 participants experienced tactile sensations during electric stimulation, ranging from tingling and vibration to prick or pain.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only 10 adults were studied, and only 5 underwent minimally invasive stimulation. The participants had very different tinnitus types and hearing losses, so the result cannot be applied uniformly. The stimulation parameters were not tested systematically; conditions depended on subject interest, availability, and study time and resources. The effects were measured only shortly after stimulation, and the paper says it is unknown whether short-term suppression becomes long-term therapy. Side effects were common: all 10 subjects had tactile sensations, and some had visual, vestibular, or muscle responses. The paper describes exploratory feasibility testing, not a controlled efficacy trial.
Declared interests
Funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. No other conflicts of interest are stated in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that electric stimulation is an established treatment for tinnitus. This was a small feasibility study with inconsistent short-term loudness changes, widespread tactile sensations or pain, and no evidence yet that temporary suppression becomes lasting therapy.