A Randomized Controlled HD-tDCS Trial: Effects on Tinnitus Severity and Cognition

A Comparative, Randomized Trial on HD-tDCS and Sham Control Group: Effects on Tinnitus Severity and Cognition Including Objective Measures.

This randomized, placebo-controlled study will compare the effects of HD-tDCS (a non-invasive neuromodulation technique) with a sham stimulation. In the sham situation, patients will undergo an identical treatment but no stimulation will be applied, allowing to control for placebo effects. This study will assess the effects of HD-tDCS on chronic, non-pulsatile tinnitus in a reliable way, as confounding factors such as anxiety, depression, hearing impairment, tinnitus gradation, age, and sex will be controlled for. Ultimately, this study will result in final recommendations for a standardised protocol for the use of HD-tDCS in tinnitus patients. When accurate, individualised, and effective therapy is available for the patient, the total cost (both economical and personal) will decrease significantly. The investigation's findings will be relevant for all caretakers dealing with tinnitus patients (psychologists, psychiatrists, manual therapists, general practitioners, ENT specialists, audiologists, etc.).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Tinnitus
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: tDCS; Device: sham tDCS

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 81
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Belgium
  • Edegem
    • Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium, 2650
      • Antwerp University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Duration of tinnitus: > 6 months
• 24 < TFI score < 90
• HADS depression subscale < 12
• HADS anxiety subscale < 12
• Hyperacusis questionnaire < 40
• Dutch- or Flemish-speaking

Exclusion Criteria:

• Somatic tinnitus
• Pregnancy
• Active middle ear pathology
• Hearing implants
• Known tumors in the head/neck region
• Patients having already had any other tinnitus treatment within the last 2 months

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Active group; tDCS	Device: tDCS; Transcranial direct current stimulation
Sham Comparator: Sham group; Sham tDCS	Device: sham tDCS; Sham transcranial direct current stimulation

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Tinnitus Functional Index	The Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) is a self-reported questionnaire, consisting of 25 questions, assessing the impact of tinnitus on patients' daily lives. The patient answers each question on a Likert scale ranging from 0 to 10. Questions 1 and 3 are expressed in percentages, and the Likert scale ranges from 0% to 100% (they are transformed to a 0-10 scale). The total score is then calculated as the mean of all questions multiplied by 10 to express this as a number between 0 and 100. In addition to the total score, the score of eight subscales can be determined. The subscales are the following: intrusiveness, reduced sense of control, cognitive interference, sleep disturbance, auditory difficulties attributed to tinnitus, interference with relaxation, reduced quality of life and emotional distress. A decrease of 13 points on the scale is considered as a clinical relevant difference.	3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ)	The Dutch validated version of the TQ is used to differentiate between emotional and cognitive distress, auditory difficulties, and self-experienced intrusiveness caused by the tinnitus. The total score can range from 0 to 84, assigning a subject to a distress category: slight (score = 0 - 30, grade 1), moderate (score = 31 - 46, grade 2), severe (score = 47 - 59, grade 3) and very severe (score = 60 - 84, grade 4).	3 months
Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale-12 (SSQ-12)	The SSQ12 is a short form of the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing scale. It is developed for use in clinical research and rehabilitation settings to measure a range of hearing disabilities across several domains such as speech in noise, speech in quiet, localization, distance and movement, segregation and listening effort. Responders rate their ability to do or experience the situation described in each question by marking a 1-10 scale (1 = not at all, 10 = perfectly). Scores of all 12 questions are averaged to obtain a global SSQ-12 score.	3 months
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)	To detect states of depression and anxiety the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is used. This self-assessment questionnaire consists of seven items in the subscale 'depression' and seven items in the subscale 'anxiety' and distinguishes clearly between both emotional disorders. The HADS serves as a screening tool for depression and anxiety. Scores of 7 or less on each subscale indicate non-cases. Scores of 8-10 are borderline abnormal (borderline case), while scores of 11-21 are abnormal (case).	3 months
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)	The patient scores the mean and maximum loudness of their tinnitus on a scale of 0 (absence of tinnitus) to 10 (as loud as possible, cannot be any louder).	3 months
Hyperacusis Questionnaire (HQ)	The HQ is a 14-item questionnaire that surveys a patient's hypersensitivity to sound. The 14 questions assess three dimensions (attentional, social, and emotional). The answer categories are: "no" (score of 0 points), "yes, a little" (1 point), "yes, quite a lot" (2 points), and "yes, a lot" (3 points). A total score of 28 or more indicates clinically significant hyperacusis.	3 months
Health Utility Index (HUI23)	The Health Utilities Index (HUI) is a family of generic health profiles and preference-based systems for the purposes of measuring health status, reporting health-related quality-of-life (QOL), and producing utility scores. The HUI comprises a 15-item questionnaire. The resulting total health-related QOL score ranges from 0.00 (dead) to 1.00 (perfect health).	3 months
Big Five Inventory-2 (BFI2)	The BFI2 comprises 60 statements to which subjects can assign a score ranging from 1 ('Disagree strongly') to 5 ('Agree strongly'). Each question belongs to one of the following 'Big Five' personality domains: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Negative Emotionality, and Open-Mindedness. For each domain, scores can vary from 12 to 60.	3 months
Speech-in-quiet (SPIQ) and speech-in-noise (SPIN) understanding		3 months
Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status, adjusted to test Hearing impaired individuals (RBANS-H)		3 months
Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials (CAEP)		3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Hospital, Antwerp
• Collaborators: Universiteit Antwerpen

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Cardon E, Van Rompaey V, Jacquemin L, Mertens G, Vermeersch H, Joossen I, Beyers J, Vanderveken OM, Van de Heyning P, Topsakal V, Gilles A. Sequential dual-site High-Definition transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) treatment in chronic subjective tinnitus: study protocol of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Trials. 2019 Aug 1;20(1):471. doi: 10.1186/s13063-019-3594-y.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 1, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 22, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): March 30, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 22, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 26, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): November 27, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 6, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 5, 2022
• Last Verified: July 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: RCT; neuromodulation; tinnitus; tdcs
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases; Ear Diseases; Sensation Disorders; Hearing Disorders; Tinnitus
• Other Study ID Numbers: EC 18/33/365

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No