Structural brain changes following left temporal low-frequency rTMS in patients with subjective tinnitus

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Radiology
• Otolaryngology

Background:

• Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a treatment for subjective tinnitus.
• rTMS is known to induce brain morphological changes in healthy individuals.
• The effects of rTMS on grey matter (GM) in tinnitus patients remain uninvestigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if rTMS treatment induces GM changes in tinnitus patients.
• To determine if these GM changes correlate with tinnitus treatment success.
• To assess if baseline GM predicts treatment outcomes in tinnitus patients.

Main Methods:

• Structural MRI scans were acquired from 77 tinnitus patients before and after 10 days of rTMS.
• Voxel-based morphometry was used to analyze GM changes.
• Tinnitus severity was assessed, and follow-up scans were performed on a subgroup.

Main Results:

• Transient GM decreases were observed in the insula and inferior frontal cortex.
• These GM changes did not correlate with tinnitus treatment outcomes.
• Baseline GM in the frontal cortex and lingual gyrus correlated with changes in tinnitus severity.

Conclusions:

• rTMS treatment transiently decreases GM in specific brain regions in tinnitus patients.
• Baseline GM may serve as a predictor for tinnitus treatment outcomes.
• Further research is needed to explore the predictive potential of baseline GM.