NCT00668720

Brief Summary

Tinnitus is a phantom auditory perception of meaningless sound, meaning that there is registration of sound in the absence of an external or internal acoustic stimulus. It is a common problem (prevalence 7-19%) which may interfere with the ability to lead a normal life. Unfortunately, it is a very difficult symptom to treat because there are hardly any therapeutic options for the cause of tinnitus. Most therapies focus on alleviating the condition rather than treating the cause. Tinnitus is thought to be generated in the brain, as a result of functional reorganization of auditory neural pathways and tonotopic maps in the central auditory system, following damage to the peripheral auditory system. Repetitive Transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a therapy, based on this concept of reorganization in the auditory cortex. It uses a pulsed magnetic field to disrupt the neural circuit and to thereby (temporarily) excite or inhibit certain brain areas, leading to the suppression of tinnitus.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
52

participants targeted

Target at P25-P50 for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Apr 2008

Typical duration for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

April 1, 2008

Completed
24 days until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

April 25, 2008

Completed
4 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

April 29, 2008

Completed
3.1 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

June 1, 2011

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

June 1, 2011

Completed
Last Updated

June 30, 2011

Status Verified

June 1, 2011

Enrollment Period

3.2 years

First QC Date

April 25, 2008

Last Update Submit

June 29, 2011

Conditions

Keywords

tinnitustranscranial magnetic stimulation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Tinnitus severity with the Tinnitus Questionnaire

    after treatment, 1 week, 1, 3 and 6 months

Secondary Outcomes (5)

  • Tinnitus Handicap Inventory

    after treatment, 1 week, 1, 3 and 6 months

  • Beck Depression Inventory

    after treatment, 1 week, 1, 3 and 6 months

  • State Trait Anxiety Index

    after treatment, 1 week, 1, 3 and 6 months

  • Visual Analog Scales on burden, loudness, pitch, presence, and variability of tinnitus and specific problems.

    for the first three months daily and for the second three months monthly

  • Audiometry and tinnitus analysis (character match, pitch match, loudness match, minimal masking level, residual inhibition)

    1 week after treatment and after 3 and 6 months

Study Arms (2)

1

EXPERIMENTAL
Device: transcranial magnetic stimulation (Magstim rapid2)

2

SHAM COMPARATOR
Device: sham stimulation

Interventions

Neuronavigated rTMS will be applied bilaterally to the auditory cortices, which will be identified through a structural MRI scan. Stimulation will be performed with 1 Hz frequency and an intensity of 110% motor threshold for 2000 stimuli (32 minutes) on each side, on five subsequent days.

Also known as: Magstim rapid2
1

The official sham stimulator for the magstim rapid2 will be used. Sham stimulation will follow the same placement protocol and will also last 2x32 minutes on five subsequent days

2

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Chronic, non fluctuating, tinnitus, demonstrated by means of the diagnostic Protocol Tinnitus UMCU, of at least two months duration.
  • Age ≥18 years
  • Dutch speaking

You may not qualify if:

  • Treatable cause of the tinnitus
  • Use of anticonvulsant medication or other psychotherapeutic drugs
  • History of epilepsy or family members with epilepsy
  • Presence of active migraine
  • Presence of psychiatric, severe internal or heart diseases or other neurologic diseases besides epilepsy
  • Metal objects in and around body that can not be removed
  • Pregnancy (will be tested on the first day of rTMS using a urine pregnancy test)
  • Alcohol or drug abuse
  • Prior treatment with TMS

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

University Medical Center Utrecht

Utrecht, Utrecht, 3584 CX, Netherlands

Location

Related Publications (1)

  • Hoekstra CE, Versnel H, Neggers SF, Niesten ME, van Zanten GA. Bilateral low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the auditory cortex in tinnitus patients is not effective: a randomised controlled trial. Audiol Neurootol. 2013;18(6):362-73. doi: 10.1159/000354977. Epub 2013 Oct 19.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Tinnitus

Interventions

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Hearing DisordersEar DiseasesOtorhinolaryngologic DiseasesSensation DisordersNeurologic ManifestationsNervous System DiseasesSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Magnetic Field TherapyTherapeutics

Study Officials

  • Bert A van Zanten, AuD

    Dept. of Otorhinolaryngology, University Medical Center Utrecht

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
TRIPLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

April 25, 2008

First Posted

April 29, 2008

Study Start

April 1, 2008

Primary Completion

June 1, 2011

Study Completion

June 1, 2011

Last Updated

June 30, 2011

Record last verified: 2011-06

Locations