Electro-aural ear canal stimulation for tinnitus (Tyler et al., 2024)

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the potential for bimodal auditory and noninvasive electrical stimulation at the ears to alleviate tonal, somatic tinnitus that was investigated in a small preliminary trial (11 participants).Design: Auditory stimulation took the form of short “notched noise” bursts customized to each participant’s tinnitus percept. Simultaneous pulsed electrical stimulation, intended to facilitate neuroplasticity, was delivered via hydrogel electrodes placed in opposite ears.Results: After a 6-week intervention period, average Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) and Tinnitus Primary Function Questionnaire (TPFQ) scores were consistent with clinically meaningful improvements in the study population. Magnitudes and effect sizes of improvements in TFI and TPFQ are comparable to those reported in other recent bimodal therapy studies using different auditory and electrical stimulation parameters.Conclusions: Our results should be considered preliminary given the small sample size, lack of crossover data, and small subject pool. When considered alongside other recent bimodal therapy results, we do believe that there are therapeutic benefits of bimodal stimulation for tinnitus sufferers that have the potential to help some with tinnitus, with a variety of stimulation parameters and electrode placements.Supplemental Material S1. Audio stimulus and notch characteristics.Tyler, R. S., Varghese, L., Furman, A. C., Snell, K., Ji, H., Rabinowitz, W. M. (2024). An exploratory study of bimodal electro-aural stimulation through the ear canals for tinnitus. American Journal of Audiology, 33(2), 455–464. https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_AJA-23-00144

研究目的：本研究旨在探索通过耳部实施双模态听觉与无创电刺激以缓解音调性及躯体性耳鸣的潜力，相关探索在一项包含11名受试者的小型预试验中开展。研究设计：听觉刺激采用针对每位受试者耳鸣感知特征定制的短“带凹口噪声”脉冲串；同时施加脉冲电刺激以促进神经可塑性，刺激通过置于双耳的水凝胶电极进行传递。研究结果：经过6周的干预周期后，研究人群的耳鸣功能指数（Tinnitus Functional Index, TFI）与耳鸣主要功能问卷（Tinnitus Primary Function Questionnaire, TPFQ）平均得分均呈现具有临床意义的改善。TFI与TPFQ的改善幅度及效应量，与近期其他采用不同听觉与电刺激参数的双模态治疗研究报告的结果相当。研究结论：鉴于本研究样本量较小、缺乏交叉试验数据且受试者招募池规模有限，本研究结果仅可视为初步探索成果。结合近期其他双模态治疗研究的结果来看，我们认为双模态刺激对耳鸣患者确有治疗益处，通过调整多种刺激参数与电极放置位置，有望为部分耳鸣患者提供帮助。补充材料S1：听觉刺激材料与凹口特征。Tyler, R. S., Varghese, L., Furman, A. C., Snell, K., Ji, H., Rabinowitz, W. M. (2024). 经耳道双模态电听觉刺激治疗耳鸣的探索性研究. 《美国听力学杂志》, 33(2), 455–464. https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_AJA-23-00144