Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in veterans with debilitating tinnitus : A pilot study

Objective Available evidence suggests tinnitus arises from excessive spontaneous activity in the left superior temporal gyrus, and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may suppress this activity. Our hypothesis is that rTMS applied to this region would decrease tinnitus complaints in veterans. Study Design Prospective, nonrandomized trial. Subjects and Methods Eight patients with tinnitus received 5 consecutive days of rTMS (0.5 Hz, 20 minutes) to the left temporoparietal area. Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) measures before sessions 1 and 3 and after session 5 were used to evaluate efficacy. Results Patient 1’s THI decreased 40 to 34 to 26, patient 4 reported a subjective improvement, patient 8 withdrew, and the remaining patients reported no improvement. Adverse effects included temporary soreness, restlessness, and photophobia. Conclusion The parameters for this rTMS study are different from those that reported success with its use. With these current parameters, rTMS did not improve tinnitus in veterans. There were no permanent adverse outcomes.