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Cardon E, Jacquemin L, Vermeersch H, Joossen I, Moyaert J, Mertens G, Vanderveken OM, Lammers MJW, Van de Heyning P, Van Rompaey V, Gilles A. Dual-site transcranial direct current stimulation to treat tinnitus: a randomized controlled trial. Brain 2022; 145:4222-4231. [PMID: 36450310 PMCID: PMC9762937 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been proposed as a potential intervention for subjective tinnitus, but supporting evidence remains limited. We aimed to investigate the effect of anodal high-definition tDCS of the left temporal area and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on tinnitus severity. This double-blind randomized controlled trial included 77 patients (age range 18-79, 43 male) with chronic subjective tinnitus as their primary complaint. Thirty-eight subjects received six consecutive sessions of dual-site sequential high-definition-tDCS with electrodes positioned over the left temporal area and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Both areas were stimulated for 15 min per session, with total stimulation time amounting to 30 min. Thirty-nine subjects received sham stimulation. The primary outcome measure was the change in tinnitus severity, as evaluated by the Tinnitus Functional Index, from baseline to a follow-up visit at 8 ± 2 weeks after treatment completion. Secondary outcomes included changes in perceived tinnitus loudness, as measured with a visual analogue scale and a tinnitus matching procedure, as well as scores on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Hyperacusis Questionnaire. No differences in Tinnitus Functional Index change scores were identified between the active treatment and sham control groups (linear regression: P = 0.86). The Tinnitus Functional Index scores decreased significantly over time in both groups (P = 0.0012), indicating the presence of a considerable placebo effect. These change scores were significantly influenced by sex (linear regression: P = 0.037) and baseline symptoms of anxiety (linear regression: P = 0.049) in both groups. In general, Tinnitus Functional Index scores decreased more profoundly in males and in subjects with a higher degree of anxiety at baseline. None of the included secondary measures differed significantly between experimental arms. Our results suggest that dual-site sequential high-definition-tDCS of the left temporal area and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex does not alleviate tinnitus severity. Interestingly, in our study population, fluctuations in tinnitus severity were influenced by gender and concurrent mental condition. It is therefore important to take these factors into account when conducting or planning randomized controlled trials in tinnitus populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilie Cardon
- Correspondence to: Emilie Cardon Department of Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Antwerp, Belgium E-mail:
| | - Laure Jacquemin
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium,University Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Hanne Vermeersch
- University Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Iris Joossen
- University Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Julie Moyaert
- University Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Griet Mertens
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium,University Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Olivier M Vanderveken
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium,University Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Marc J W Lammers
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium,University Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Paul Van de Heyning
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium,University Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Vincent Van Rompaey
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium,University Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Annick Gilles
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium,University Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium,Department of Education, Health and Social Work, University College Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
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Shetty KR, Ridge SE, Kanumuri V, Zhu A, Brown MC, Lee DJ. Clinical and scientific innovations in auditory brainstem implants. World J Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2021; 7:109-115. [PMID: 33997720 PMCID: PMC8103538 DOI: 10.1016/j.wjorl.2021.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The auditory brainstem implant (ABI) was originally developed to provide rehabilitation of retrocochlear deafness caused by neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). Recent studies of the ABI have investigated outcomes in non-NF2 cohorts, such as patients with cochlear nerve aplasia or cochlear ossification and more recently, intractable tinnitus. New technologies that improve the ABI-neural tissue interface are being explored as means to improve performance and decrease side effects. Innovative discoveries in optogenetics and bioengineering present opportunities to continually evolve this technology into the future, enhancing spatial selectivity of neuronal activation in the cochlear nucleus and preventing side effects through reduction in activation of non-target neuronal circuitry. These advances will improve surgical planning and ultimately improve patients’ audiological capabilities. ABI research has rapidly increased in the 21st century and applications of this technology are likely to continually evolve. Herein, we aim to characterize ongoing clinical, basic science, and bioengineering advances in ABIs and discuss future directions of this technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunal R Shetty
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.,Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sarah E Ridge
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Vivek Kanumuri
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Angela Zhu
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - M Christian Brown
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel J Lee
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Zhang J, Firestone E, Elattma A. Animal Models of Tinnitus Treatment: Cochlear and Brain Stimulation. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2021; 51:83-129. [PMID: 34282563 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2021_227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Neuromodulation, via stimulation of a variety of peripheral and central structures, is used to suppress tinnitus. However, investigative limitations in humans due to ethical reasons have made it difficult to decipher the mechanisms underlying treatment-induced tinnitus relief, so a number of animal models have arisen to address these unknowns. This chapter reviews animal models of cochlear and brain stimulation and assesses their modulatory effects on behavioral evidence of tinnitus and its related neural correlates. When a structure is stimulated, localized modulation, often presenting as downregulation of spontaneous neuronal spike firing rate, bursting and neurosynchrony, occurs within the brain area. Through anatomical projections and transmitter pathways, the interventions activate both auditory- and non-auditory structures by taking bottom-up ascending and top-down descending modes to influence their target brain structures. Furthermore, it is the brain oscillations that cochlear or brain stimulation evoke and connect the prefrontal cortex, striatal systems, and other limbic structures to refresh neural networks and relieve auditory, attentive, conscious, as well as emotional reactive aspects of tinnitus. This oscillatory neural network connectivity is achieved via the thalamocorticothalamic circuitry including the lemniscal and non-lemniscal auditory brain structures. Beyond existing technologies, the review also reveals opportunities for developing advanced animal models using new modalities to achieve precision neuromodulation and tinnitus abatement, such as optogenetic cochlear and/or brain stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinsheng Zhang
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA. .,Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Wayne State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Detroit, MI, USA.
| | - Ethan Firestone
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Ahmed Elattma
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
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Abstract
Tinnitus is a common symptom. Standard therapies aim at improving the quality of life and reducing the psychological stress associated with tinnitus. Most interventions have little or no effect on the main symptom. Those affected subjects, however, want such a change and prefer a specific solution, such as pharmacologic therapy to other modalities. Scientific efforts have not yet led to significant improvement in the range of therapies. This article outlines existing efforts and develops ideas on how research for improved tinnitus therapy might look in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Kleinjung
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Frauenklinikstrasse 24, Zurich CH 8091, Switzerland.
| | - Berthold Langguth
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Center, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 84, Regensburg D 93053, Germany
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