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Project

A comparative, randomized trial on HD-tDCS and sham control group: effects on tinnitus severity and cognition including objective measures.

The current project proposes a randomized, placebo-controlled study comparing the effects of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) to a control (sham) group. HDtDCS neuromodulation is, in general, considered as a save intervention as it is a form of noninvasive brain modulation with no to relatively mild side effects. Up until now, a total of 31 studies evaluated the effects of tDCS on tinnitus reporting a variety of effects ranging from no effects to significant tinnitus reduction. The present protocol proposes a randomized controlled trial comparing the effects of HD-tDCS therapy taking into account confounding factors such as age, gender, anxiety, depression and hearing loss (which are often not considered in previous studies). In this context, the proposed clinical trial will be the first high-quality powered randomized controlled trial of its kind and the results would be much appreciated by the tinnitus community as stated by the TINNET work group (a European network for tinnitus research and management). In addition, cognitive aspects such as attention and memory will be evaluated by use of a cognitive test battery. It has been previously shown that tinnitus might have deteriorating effects on cognition but the outcomes remain speculative so far. As such, a thorough cognitive exam will be carried out as well as the measurement of cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs). CAEPs are the neurophysiological correlate of auditory processing in the brain which can be measured. This provides a measure that can be taken into account in the study providing an objective evaluation of tinnitus burden and tinnitus alleviation before and after tinnitus therapy. In addition, these measurements can be linked to the cognitive performance of patients which has never been done before.
Date:1 Oct 2018 →  30 Sep 2022
Keywords:TINNITUS
Disciplines:Otorhinolaryngology, Speech, language and hearing sciences
Project type:Collaboration project