Mindfulness-Based Therapy in the Management of Tinnitus

Mindfulness-based interventions are one of the recent techniques that have proven to be very useful in tinnitus management. Mindfulness therapy refers to experiencing the present, which helps control the attention system, which significantly contributes to getting relief from the adverse reactions due to tinnitus. Several systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials report relief from tinnitus perception even with the heterogeneity of the patients with mindfulness therapy. The different study designs and outcome measures reported similar results suggesting the efficacy of mindfulness-based training. Thus, psychologists and audiologists dealing with individuals suffering from tinnitus can attempt this technique in management. The mindfulness-based training can be combined with formal Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) approaches to enhance tinnitus treatment.

Implications of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation as a Treatment Modality for Tinnitus

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive, neuromodulating technique for brain hyperexcitability disorders. The objective of this paper is to discuss the mechanism of action of rTMS as well as to investigate the literature involving the application of rTMS in the treatment of tinnitus. The reviewed aspects of the protocols included baseline evaluation, the total number of sessions, frequency and the total number of stimuli, the location of treatment, and the outcome measures. Even with heterogeneous protocols, most studies utilized validated tinnitus questionnaires as baseline and outcome measures. Low frequency (1 Hz) stimulation throughout 10 consecutive sessions was the most widely used frequency and treatment duration; however, there was no consensus on the total number of stimuli necessary to achieve significant results. The auditory cortex (AC) was the most targeted location, with most studies supporting changes in neural activity with multi-site stimulation to areas in the frontal cortex (FC), particularly the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The overall efficacy across most of the reviewed trials reveals positive statistically significant results. Though rTMS has proven to impact neuroplasticity at the microscopic and clinical level, further studies are warranted to demonstrate and support the clinical use of rTMS in tinnitus treatment with a standardized protocol.

EFFECTIVENESS OF ACAMPROSATE FOR TINNITUS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF CLINICAL TRIALS

Introduction: The effectiveness of tinnitus treatment represents a huge gap in the medical science. Acamprosate is a glutamatergic antagonist drug and GABA-agonist that could be used to control tinnitus due to its action on peripheral and central neurotransmission. Purpose: To assess the effectiveness of acamprosate in the treatment of tinnitus. Material and Methods: This is a systematic review and we searched for randomized clinical trials linking acamprosate to tinnitus in six databases: Cochrane - Central Register of Controlled Trials - CENTRAL (2021), PUBMED (1966-2021), EMBASE (1974-2021), IBECS (1982-2021), QINSIGHT (2021) and SCOPUS (2021). Two researchers independently extracted the data and assessed the quality of the studies. Results: Two trials involving 121 patients were included. The methodological quality of these studies was low. Both studies evaluated as primary outcome the efficacy of acamprosate in improving tinnitus. The meta-analysis by random model resulted in no significant difference between the groups treated with acamprosate and placebo (RR = 3,69, 95% CI 0,87-15,62; p=0,08), considering tinnitus improvement. Conclusions: There is no evidence that acamprosate is effective for tinnitus treatment. We recommend new trials using rigorous methodology. Randomization and blinding should be of the highest quality, given the subjective nature of tinnitus and the strong likelihood of a placebo response. The CONSORT statement should be used in the design and reporting of future studies.

Perception Mechanism of Bone-Conducted Ultrasound and Its Clinical Use

It is generally believed that ultrasound cannot be heard. However, ultrasound is audible when it is presented through bone conduction. Bone-conducted ultrasound (BCU) has unique characteristics; the most interesting is its perception in patients with profound deafness. Some patients can perceive it and discriminate speech-modulated BCU. Previous reports have suggested that BCU can be used for a hearing aid or tinnitus sound therapy. In this review, the perception of BCU at both the peripheral and central levels was investigated based on previous studies, although some of them remain controversial. We also investigated the clinical use of BCU. To develop hearing aids utilizing BCU, the encoding of speech signals into BCU has to be established. The outcomes of the reported speech modulations were evaluated. Furthermore, the suppression of tinnitus by BCU was reviewed, and the feasibility of the application of BCU to tinnitus treatment was investigated.

Direct and Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Treatment of Tinnitus: A Scoping Review

Recent animal research has shown that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) paired with sound stimuli can induce neural plasticity in the auditory cortex in a controlled manner. VNS paired with tones excluding the tinnitus frequency eliminated physiological and behavioral characteristics of tinnitus in noise-exposed rats. Several clinical trials followed and explored the effectiveness of VNS paired with sound stimuli for alleviating tinnitus in human subjects. Transcutaneous VNS (tVNS) has received increasing attention as a non-invasive alternative approach to tinnitus treatment. Several studies have also explored tVNS alone (not paired with sound stimuli) as a potential therapy for tinnitus. In this review, we discuss existing knowledge about direct and tVNS in terms of applicability, safety, and effectiveness in diminishing tinnitus symptoms in human subjects. This review includes all existing clinical and neuroimaging studies of tVNS alone or paired with acoustic stimulation in tinnitus patients and outlines the present limitations that must be overcome to maximize the potential of (t)VNS as a therapy for tinnitus.

Analysis of Gabapentin’s Efficacy in Tinnitus Treatment: A Systematic Review

Objectives: Tinnitus can be a chronic symptom that brings disability and distress. Some studies suggested that gabapentin might be effective on tinnitus relief. The objective of the study is to perform a systematic review in order to evaluate the efficacy of oral gabapentin in patients with tinnitus. Methods: A literature search was conducted in English and following the recommendations from PRISMA. The terms used were: (“tinnitus” OR “subjective tinnitus”) AND (“gabapentin”). The study selection was performed following the eligibility criteria in accordance to the PICOS (population, intervention, comparison, outcome, study design) strategy—patients with tinnitus; oral gabapentin; placebo; reduction of tinnitus severity questionnaires scores; prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial, respectively. The selected studies were included in qualitative synthesis. The studies were analyzed according to Joanna Briggs Institute’s critical appraisal checklist for randomized controlled trials. Results: One hundred twenty-one studies were found in 9 databases and 8 studies were found in gray literature. After study selection, 6 articles were read in full. Then, 2 studies were excluded and 4 were included in qualitative synthesis. All 4 articles were analyzed according to critical evaluation checklist. Conclusions: There is insufficient evidence to recommend the use of gabapentin for patients with tinnitus.

Methodological Aspects of Randomized Controlled Trials for Tinnitus: A Systematic Review and How a Decision Support System Could Overcome Barriers

Although a wide range of tinnitus management interventions is currently under research and a variety of therapeutic interventions have already been applied in clinical practice, no optimal and universal tinnitus treatment has been reached yet. This fact is to some extent a consequence of the high heterogeneity of the methodologies used in tinnitus related clinical studies. In this manuscript, we have identified, summarized, and critically appraised tinnitus-related randomized clinical trials since 2010, aiming at systematically mapping the research conducted in this area. The results of our analysis of the 73 included randomized clinical trials provide important insight on the identification of limitations of previous works, methodological pitfalls or gaps in current knowledge, a prerequisite for the adequate interpretation of current literature and execution of future studies.