Parietal double-cone coil stimulation in tinnitus

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Auditory Perception
• Neuromodulation

Background:

• Non-pulsatile tinnitus is an auditory phantom percept often associated with heightened attention.
• Auditory attention is linked to the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), a brain region potentially involved in tinnitus perception.
• Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can modulate brain activity, including the IPS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of TMS on tinnitus perception by targeting the parietal area.
• To determine if modulating the parietal cortex can interfere with the distracting nature of tinnitus.

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted using TMS with a double-cone coil applied to the parietal area.
• Study 1 involved 24 participants with the coil tilted left; Study 2 involved 40 participants with bilateral parietal coverage.
• Participants received sham, 1 Hz, and 10 Hz TMS (Study 1), or sham, 1 Hz, 5 Hz, and 10 Hz TMS (Study 2), with tinnitus reduction quantified using a numeric rating scale.

Main Results:

• Study 1 showed a significant transient tinnitus reduction (11.36%) with 10 Hz TMS compared to sham and 1 Hz.
• Study 2 demonstrated significant tinnitus suppression with 1 Hz, 5 Hz, and 10 Hz TMS compared to pre-treatment.
• A significant difference versus sham was observed for 5 Hz (8.78% suppression) and 10 Hz (9.50% suppression) in Study 2.

Conclusions:

• The parietal area plays a role in the perception of tinnitus.
• 10 Hz TMS applied to the parietal area using a double-cone coil can effectively modulate tinnitus perception.
• These findings suggest TMS as a potential therapeutic approach for managing tinnitus.