Effect of Simultaneous Use of Neuromodulation and Acoustic Stimulation in the Management of Tinnitus.

Abstract

Tinnitus is a relatively common disorder with a heterogeneous nature. Combining methods in its treatment may offergreater effectiveness. We aim to explore the impact of concurrently applying tRNS neuromodulation and acousticstimulation for tinnitus control. Thirty-two tinnitus patients participated in this study, divided into two groups. Thefirst group underwent 8 sessions of electrical stimulation (tRNS) and acoustic stimulation simultaneously, while thesecond group received only tRNS. The outcomes were assessed using psychoacoustic evaluation and tinnitushandicap inventory (THI) and visual analog scale (VAS) for loudness and annoyance of tinnitus. The SF-36questionnaire was utilized to evaluate the quality of life before, and immediately after intervention and at one monthfollow-up. A notable reduction in tinnitus loudness was observed in both groups. There were significant differences inTHI scores before and after the intervention for both groups. However, the first group exhibited larger effect sizes forchanges in loudness and THI scores. The scores of the SF-36 questionnaire improved in both groups, the increase ingeneral health and emotional scores was particularly significant in the first group. According to the results of thisstudy, using electrical and acoustic stimulation simultaneously with dual-modality stimulation is more effective inreducing the loudness and annoyance of tinnitus, compared to the use of electrical stimulation alone.