Purpose: Clinical effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
(rTMS) in chronic tinnitus are moderate. More precise coil localisation strategies,
innovative stimulation protocols, and identification of predictors for treatment response
were proposed as promising attempts to enhance treatment efficacy. In this pilot study we
investigated neuronavigated continuous theta burst TMS (cTBS).
Methods: Twenty-three patients received neuronavigated cTBS over the left
primary auditory cortex in a randomized sham-controlled trial (verum = 12; sham = 11).
Treatment response was evaluated with tinnitus questionnaires and numeric rating scales.
Immediate change in numeric rating scales during the first session was used as predictor
for treatment response.
Results: Tinnitus was significantly reduced after treatment, but there were
no superior effects between verum vs. sham treatment. Immediate change in the first
treatment session predicted the response to treatment only in the verum group.
Conclusions: In our study, verum cTBS was not superior to sham which
highlights the persistent need for improving non-invasive brain stimulation techniques for
the treatment of tinnitus. Future research should focus on the transfer of positive single
session effects to daily treatment trials.
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