Efficacy Study for Development and Use of Neurofeedback-trainings for Patients Suffering From Chronic Tinnitus

October 30, 2017 updated by: University of Zurich

A Monocentric Study for Development and Use of Tomographic Neurofeedback Protocols for Patients Suffering From Chronic Tinnitus

Chronic tinnitus affects about 10-15% of the population in industrialized countries. Investigations of the brain activity by using electroencephalography (EEG) showed that in localized regions of the hearing system brain activity was decreased. This reduction of activity is thought to be one of the reasons that keep the perception of the tinnitus going. Recent studies have shown that neurofeedback is a viable option for treatment of chronic tinnitus. By using neurofeedback it is possible to train brain functions by the simple principle of rewarding wanted changes and punishing unwanted ones. The purpose of the investigators study is to show the efficacy of specific localized neurofeedback training in comparison to global relaxing neurofeedback training. In order to achieve decreased tinnitus symptoms or even disappearance of the tinnitus, 15 neurofeedback trainings are planned. Before and up to 6 month after the training EEG-recordings are performed.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
52

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Switzerland
    • ZH
      • Zurich, ZH, Switzerland, 8091
        • University Hospital Zurich, Division of Otorhinolaryngology ORL

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18-75
  • Chronic Tinnitus > 0.5 years
  • Informed Consent
  • Fluent in German language

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Psychological and neurological disorders other than tinnitus
  • Drug- or Alcohol abuse
  • Tranquilizer, antiepileptic drugs, antipsychotics or anesthetics intake
  • Impairing hearing loss or Cochlea Implant

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Tomographic Neurofeedback (TONF)
15x Neurofeedback Trainings, 1-2 times per week
Device: Tomographic Neurofeedback
EEG-Electrodes are placed on the patients head to record the brain activity, EEG-recordings are processed by the standardized Low Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography algorithm (sLORETA) to calculate the frequency spectrum in the auditory cortex and deliver feedback for the patient
Active Comparator: Non Tomographic Neurofeedback (NTE)
15x Neurofeedback Trainings, 1-2 times per week
Device: Non Tomographic Neurofeedback
EEG-electrodes are placed on the patients head, but only 4 electrodes (Fc1, Fc2, F3 and F4 of a 10-10 EEG-system) record the surface activity and generate the feedback for the patient.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from Baseline in Tinnitus symptoms assessed by questionnaires
Time Frame: at 1, 3, 6 month follow up
Assessement of the Tinnitus symptoms before and after the Treatment with neurofeedback by different questionnaires tailored for Tinnitus and Quality of life.
at 1, 3, 6 month follow up
Change from Baseline in delta (3-4Hz) and alpha (8-12Hz) frequency band EEG-activity in the auditory cortex
Time Frame: at 1, 3, 6 month follow up
EEG recordings of the trained frequency bands are compared before and after the Intervention in the named time periods
at 1, 3, 6 month follow up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Difference in efficacy between Tomographic Neurofeedback (TONF) and Non Tomographic Neurofeedback (NTE) in treatment of tinnitus assessed by tinnitus questionnaires and frequency band EEG-activity measurements (3-4Hz and 8-12Hz) compared to Baseline.
Time Frame: at 1, 3, 6 month follow up
Investigation if there is a significant benefit in the TONF Group, compared to the non tomographic Group.
at 1, 3, 6 month follow up

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Zurich

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Tobias Kleinjung, ENT-Department, University Hospital Zurich

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 24, 2017

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 24, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 18, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 3, 2015

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 9, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
October 31, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 30, 2017

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
October 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • USZ-ORL-KT-001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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