Survey of tinnitus patients’ acceptance of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation as a management option

To investigate acceptance of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) as a management option for tinnitus. Participants completed an online version of the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI), after which they recorded their satisfaction ratings with different hypothetical intervention outcomes on a 10-point rating scale using Opinio survey software. Data from 272 tinnitus sufferers from English-speaking regions worldwide were collected, of which the majority had moderate to severe tinnitus as per TFI. The survey showed that HD-tDCS was considered an acceptable form of tinnitus management, and that the satisfaction rating depended significantly on a number of factors: (1) the strength of the tinnitus reduction following the intervention (<i>p</i> p p These findings are important for future HD-tDCS trials for tinnitus, as they demonstrate the need to optimise stimulation protocols to increase effect sizes and decrease time spent on the treatment.