Experimental Tinnitus Treatment With Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

June 20, 2023 updated by: Aaron Boes
There are numerous conditions that may benefit from TMS but they lack definitive data from clinical trials with sufficient scientific rigor, which includes large, multi-site, randomized sham-controlled trials. This is the status for a variety of psychiatric and neurological disorders such as tinnitus, central pain, movement disorders, stroke rehabilitation, obsessive compulsive disorders, anxiety, schizophrenia, and addiction. In certain instances there may be sufficient evidence supporting the treatment efficacy of TMS that it is reasonable to offer TMS as an off-label treatment, a term for clinical treatments that have not received FDA approval but may nonetheless be helpful for patients. In other cases there is such a paucity of clinical trial data that the use of therapeutic TMS is less appropriate as a clinical treatment that the patient is charged for out of pocket and may cost several thousand dollars, but is better suited for clinically-oriented research. This has the added benefit of potentially helping the patient and providing investigators with additional information from which to inform future clinical trials. In this study the investigators propose to use TMS to treat tinnitus, for which few other treatments currently exist. Tinnitus affects approximately 1% of the population and can be debilitating for patients. Recent studies have shown some promise in reducing symptoms through neuromodulation, but results are variable and more research is needed to improve treatment protocols. The investigators plan to contribute to this body of research by taking an evidence-based approach to test whether TMS is effective at reducing symptoms of tinnitus. Each subject's MRI will be used to perform neuronavigated TMS stimulations while documenting changes in symptom severity with self-report questionnaires and symptom severity scales. If it is determined that a stimulation protocol is effective, 1-2 weeks of daily treatments will be scheduled as part of that subject's personalized treatment plan.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

Detailed Description

  1. Consent patients that have been referred to the Noninvasive Brain Stimulation Clinic at the University of Iowa.
  2. Patients will complete the following before any treatments occur: Tinnitus Intake Questionnaire, Tinnitus Functional Index, Tinnitus Questionnaires, Iowa Tinnitus Primary Function, Clinical Global Improvement Scale.
  3. Patients may undergo audiological assessment if they have not already been tested prior to the study.
  4. Patients will be required to obtain an MRI prior to treatment to aid in neuronavigated stimulation unless there is have access to a previous clinical MRI for this purpose.
  5. MRI images will be loaded into BrainSight or Localite, which are both frameless stereotactic systems for MRI-guided TMS localization. If no MRI is acquired, the subject's head will be transformed to MNI standard space within the software. Neuronavigation allows us to place specific stimulation targets onto each subjects's MRI. For this study, the investigators will be targeting left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, auditory cortices, and auditory association cortices; all targets are placed anatomically by a neurologist. Infrared trackers on the subject's head and TMS coil allow for neuronavigated stimulation of anatomical targets on the cortex with millimeter precision.
  6. The motor threshold of the subject will be assessed, which is the intensity of TMS required to elicit motor evoked potentials from the hand 50% of the time.
  7. Subjects will be fitted with an EEG cap to record neural activity before, during, and after the initial test session.
  8. Single TMS pulses or brief trains of repetitive TMS lasting a few seconds will be administered at 80 - 120% of motor threshold to targeted regions of the cerebral cortex and cerebellum. A typical experiment will last 30 minutes to 2 hours. The patients are told they can stop the experiment at any time.
  9. After each stimulation, patients will be asked to rate any changes in symptom severity and whether any side effects were experienced (Tinnitus Questionnaires, Clinical Global Improvement Scale).
  10. After the treatment session, the TMS pulse locations will be related to changes in symptom severity as measured by self-report. If any stimulation treatments were successful in reducing symptom severity, a treatment plan for that target will be discussed and follow-up treatments may be scheduled.
  11. Follow up treatments will vary between patients but will typically consist of daily treatments for up to 4 weeks or until treatment response is sustained. The patient can withdraw from follow treatments at any time. Patients will be asked to complete the following at these visits: Tinnitus Functional Index, Tinnitus Questionnaires, Iowa Tinnitus Primary Function, Clinical Global Improvement Scale.

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.
1

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

  • United States
    • Iowa
      • Iowa City, Iowa, United States, 52242
        • University of Iowa

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 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • tinnitus diagnosis

Exclusion Criteria:

  • have epilepsy or a family history of epilepsy
  • have implanted metal in or near their head
  • have any history of brain injury or stroke
  • have a tinnitus handicap inventory score of <38 (less than moderate handicap)

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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: Active TMS
Active TMS stimulation administered for tinnitus symptoms (no sham stimulation).
Device: TMS for tinnitus
Targeted stimulation to decrease tinnitus symptom severity.

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
Clinical Improvement
Time Frame: End of treatment course - 5 days
Clinical Global Improvement Scale (0-7 scale where 0=not assessed, 1=Very much improved, and 7= Very much worse
End of treatment course - 5 days

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.
Aaron Boes

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: Aaron D Boes, MD, PhD, University of Iowa

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 (Actual)

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.
December 10, 2018

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.
July 26, 2021

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.
July 26, 2021

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).
October 5, 2018

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.
October 5, 2018

First Posted (Actual)

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.
October 9, 2018

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.
July 11, 2023

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.
June 20, 2023

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.
June 1, 2023

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.
  • 201808852

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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