The Longer, the Better? Investigating the Effect of Prolonged Acoustic Stimulation on Brief Acoustic Tinnitus Suppression

NCT07472257 | Completed

• 3 other identifiers: 17-819-101agreement number 722046Swiss National Fund 'Early Pos
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 45
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study compared tinnitus suppression after 3-minute and 20-minute acoustic stimulation using an individually optimized stimulus. In total 45 tinnitus patients participated. Thirty-three participants with chronic subjective tinnitus completed three sessions. During the first two sessions, eight individualized filtered and modulated stimuli were presented for 3 minutes each to identify the stimulus inducing the strongest tinnitus suppression. This stimulus was subsequently applied for 20 minutes in the third session.

Conditions

Tinnitus

Keywords

tinnitus; residual inhibition; acoustic stimulation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Short-term tinnitus loudness suppression

  Tinnitus loudness ratings are obtained immediately after each acoustic stimulation application at seven time points (every 30 seconds: t0, t30, t60, t90, t120, t150, and t180) using a numeric rating scale ranging from 0-110%. A rating of 100% indicates tinnitus loudness equal to the pre-stimulation level, values above 100% indicate increased loudness, and values below 100% indicate reduced loudness.

  From immediately after acoustic stimulation until 180 seconds post-stimulation. start: immediately after stimulation end: 180 seconds post-stimulation

Study Arms (2)

Acoustic stimulation with individual best stimulus - 20 minutes

OTHER

Acoustic stimulation - 20 minutes

Other: Acoustic Stimulation - 20 minutes

Acoustic stimulation with individual best stimulus - 3 minutes

OTHER

Acoustic stimulation - 3 minutes

Other: Acoustic stimulation - 3 minutes

Interventions

Acoustic Stimulation - 20 minutes OTHER

For each participant, the stimulus which induced the strongest tinnitus loudness suppression (measured with a numeric rating scale in percent compared to baseline loudness) during the previous 2 sessions was chosen and then applied for 20 minutes in a third session.

Acoustic stimulation with individual best stimulus - 20 minutes

Acoustic stimulation - 3 minutes OTHER

Other: Acoustic stimulation Description: sound stimuli were presented diotically with a 1000ms fade-in and fade-out phase in randomized order; in two sessions the following stimuli were applied for 3 minutes each: White Noise (WN), WN with a bandpass filter (WN\_BP) and WN with a bandstop filter (WN\_BS), both filters applied at the individual tinnitus frequency (ITF); different pure tones: one at the ITF, two at the ITF with amplitude modulation at either 10 Hz or 23 Hz (AM\_10Hz, AM\_23Hz) and another two low-frequency tones (three octaves below the patient's ITF) with an amplitude modulation at 10 Hz or 23 Hz as well (AM\_10Hz\_deep, AM\_23Hz\_deep); For each participant, the stimulus which induced the strongest tinnitus loudness suppression (measured with a numeric rating scale in percent compared to baseline loudness) was chosen,

Acoustic stimulation with individual best stimulus - 3 minutes

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 75 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Diagnosis of chronic tinnitus, defined as a tinnitus duration of at least 6 months
• Written informed consent: The patient must be able to understand the study information, comply with the required examinations and appointments, and provide written informed consent
• Male or female patients, aged 18-75 years

You may not qualify if:

• Objective tinnitus
• Tinnitus below 1000 Hz
• Presence of Menière's disease, otosclerosis, acoustic neuroma, or other clearly identifiable and treatable causes of tinnitus
• Initiation of other tinnitus treatments within the last three months prior to study entry
• Lack of informed consent
• Oropharyngeal infection
• Presence of clinically relevant severe internal, neurological, or psychiatric disorders
• Drug, medication, or alcohol abuse within 12 weeks prior to study entry
• Any other condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, makes participation in the study unsuitable
• Hyperacusis
• Current pharmacological treatment with psychoactive substances (e.g., antidepressants, anticonvulsants)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Regensburg: lead

Study Sites (1)

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

Regensburg, 93053, Germany

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Tinnitus

Interventions

Acoustic Stimulation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Hearing Disorders; Ear Diseases; Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases; Sensation Disorders; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Therapeutics; Sensory Art Therapies; Complementary Therapies; Physical Stimulation; Investigative Techniques

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Prof. Dr. Berthold Langguth

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 4, 2026
• First Posted: March 16, 2026
• Study Start: April 1, 2018
• Primary Completion: December 1, 2018
• Study Completion: December 1, 2018
• Last Updated: March 16, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

DE (1)