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No evidence of hearing loss in humans due to transcranial magnetic stimulation
A Pascual-Leone1, L G Cohen, L I Shotland
1Human Cortical Physiology Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Abstract:
Prompted by the description of hearing loss in rabbits exposed to the acoustic artifact of magnetic stimulation, we compared the results of audiologic studies before and after exposure to transcranial magnetic stimulation in humans. We found no evidence of temporary or permanent threshold shifts in any of the subjects, even in those exposed to transcranial magnetic stimulation repeatedly for several years. Risk of hearing loss from the acoustic artifact of magnetic stimulation, as evaluated by audiograms, tympanograms, acoustic reflexes, and auditory evoked potentials, seems to be small in humans.