rTMS for Depression and Chronic Tinnitus

Magnetic pulses to the brain deliver long-lasting relief for tinnitus patients: VA and OHSU study
07/16/15 Portland, Ore.

Depression treatment tool holds tremendous promise for patients with debilitating neurologic condition

In the largest U.S. clinical trial of its kind funded by the Veterans Affairs (VA) Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, researchers at the VA Portland Medical Center and Oregon Health & Science University found that transcranial magnetic stimulation significantly improved tinnitus symptoms for more than half of study participants. Their findings were published today in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery.

“For some study participants, this was the first time in years that they experienced any relief in symptoms. These promising results bring us closer to developing a long-sought treatment for this condition that affects an enormous number of Americans, including many men and women who have served in our armed forces,” said Robert L. Folmer, Ph.D., research investigator with the National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research at the VA Portland Health Care System and associate professor of Otolarynology/Head and Neck Surgery in the OHSU School of Medicine.

One of the most common health conditions in the country, tinnitus affects nearly 45 million Americans. People with this audiological and neurological condition hear a persistent sound – that can range from ringing or buzzing to a hissing or white noise hum – when there is no external sound source. The distraction can impair people’s ability to sleep or concentrate and is sometimes disabling.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 15 percent of Americans experience some degree of tinnitus. Currently, there are no proven treatments available. So, patients with the condition often develop coping strategies to manage their reaction to tinnitus.

Military veterans are at greater risk of developing the condition. Tinnitus is the most prevalent service connected disability in the VA health system. Study participants were a mix of veterans and non-veterans.

“We applaud the work of Dr. Folmer and his colleagues. The results of the joint National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research/OHSU study are promising for tinnitus patients everywhere,” said Melanie West, Chair of the American Tinnitus Association's Board of Directors, the premier member-based tinnitus organization. “We are committed to finding solutions for tinnitus and excited to see the progression of TMS clinical trials producing positive results for some patients.”

To conduct this research, Folmer and colleagues, including Sarah Theodoroff, Ph.D., used a TMS system that generates a cone-shaped magnetic field that penetrates the scalp and skull to interact with brain tissue. The higher the stimulation intensity, the deeper the magnetic field can penetrate and affect neural activity. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration has approved transcranial magnetic stimulation only for treatment of depression.

All 64 participants enrolled in the study received one pulse of TMS per second to their skull just above the ear to target the auditory cortex in the brain. Participants underwent TMS sessions on 10 consecutive workdays, receiving 2,000 pulses of TMS per session. Of the 32 participants who received the “active” TMS treatment, 18 people found their symptoms were alleviated for at least six months. To participate in the study, patients were required to have had tinnitus for at least a year or more. A significant number of participants who had tinnitus for more than 20 years were pleased to receive some relief from TMS treatment. In light of these encouraging results, Dr. Folmer hopes to conduct a larger clinical trial to refine protocols for the eventual clinical use of TMS for tinnitus.

The study, “Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Treatment for Chronic Tinnitus: Results of a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial,” was authored by Folmer, Theodoroff, Linda Casiana, M.S., Yongbing Shi, M.D., Ph.D., Susan Griest, M.P.H., and Jay Vachhani, Au.D.

The study was funded by the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Service.

http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/about/news_events/news/2015/07-16-magnetic-pulses-to-the-b.cfm

 

Found this out from my audiologist in San Francisco. Apparently tinnitus professionals in North America are quite excited about this study.

 

There's been a bit about this in the news around here lately especially regarding military veterans.

 

Military veterans are big hope for future researching for t. More than 1 milion militirary veterans from states of NATO are having this condition. So that is reason more (maybe the main one) to invest in research...

Hope for a cure in next few years...

 

Also, like the fact that this directly targets the Central Auditory Cortex, which seems to be the common denominator of all t cases, not to mention the gateway from the auditory to the whole central nervous system.

 

This is probably the best looking treatment out right now.

Minimal side effects, long term relief, no drug intake... I'm going to be researching local TMS doctors and trying to get an appointment set up to give this a shot.

 

best looking or best working ?

This Method is not new, im wondering that it is getting so much spotlight right now.

Im planning on doing TMS too after Im done trying out Trobalt...
Maybe even tDCS

 

i would definitely be interested in something like this. Too much suffering for me.

 

This study is recent. rTMS has been around for depression. But seems they are developing new ways to target the auditory cortex, i.e. different areas than those targeted for depression.

 

Please don't get too optimistic about a T cure. The neurological complexities are huge because each case of T is a different neurological episode and as such will need significant investment for research.

 

It would be nice if some of those participants were members here so they could share their experiences and what exactly their relief is like. Does anyone know if TMS is the same quality everywhere or is there some regions where its more advanced? I know of a tms location not too far from where i live and the cost is $250 a session.

 

The article says they had 10 TMS sessions where the device was put at the auditory cortex with 2000 pulses per (something) ... for 10 consecutive days .. So unless you do the same you can not expect the same result ...

It is alot of money - waaaay too much for an elextrical current running through a magnet ... as I said before ... 10 times costs me 300 dollars ... I feel sorry for your government to care so little about it`s people ... I hope your insurance can cover it.

 

just had a call from my doctor and they saw a raised activation of my auditory cortex and frontal brain on the qEEG ... so they suggested to go ahead with neuromodulation ... I will start in a few weeks.

 

Neuromodulation is quite interesting I've seen few videos / articles about it , looks quite promising , you're lucky you live in Europe they do a lot of tinnitus , here there is literally nothing 0 , nada

 

So did u try TMS? What is your t like? and I agree our government sucks

 

I havn`t tried it yet ... my doctor suggests tDCS works better, although today I have forwarded her this articla ... anyway ... good news ... for a bit over 300 dollars you can get a tDCS kit in your own home! ... I will update everyone on how it works cause I still prefer to do the TMS ... but I will do that one also after the tDCS

http://www.trans-cranial.com/tct/end-users-patients/tdcs-stimulator-products/

 

What is exactly the benefit of your post here? Do you enjoy making people feel miserable on the internet?

Nobody even mentioned the word "cure" in this thread, just that rTMS may be a legit treatment.
Have you tried it?

some people....

 

No, please do not use any kind of home kit. This is a specific action in a specific area with specific strict guidelines and equipment. Placing anything electrical to your head yourself could overstimulate the already electric environment of our t.
Also, you would need to see someone who is trained specifically in treating t rather than just depression for this specific treatment, as different areas and techniques would be used for the two.

 

I didn`t know... thanks for enlightening me ... I wasn`t planning to get a home kit ... I will do it in UZA BRAI2N clinic. I keep everyone updated!

 

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...atments-rtms-tdcs-tacs.326/page-3#post-142619
my rTMS experience

 

@nills hi. You did your neuromodulation yet? How did it go?

Can someone explain what exactly is neuromodulation and what is the difference between that and neurofeedback?

 

I had rTMS treatment for depression for 6 weeks from late July to early September. In late August I noticed my tinnitus which I've had since 2008 and was not bothersome, suddenly became much worse. So bad that now I hear it over everything, even the shower. The worst time is when I go to sleep and when I wake up in the morning.

I would not go for rTMS treatment for depression if you already have tinnitus, because it can make it much worse.

 

rTMS for depression function on specific frequency in order to EXCITE THE NEURONS!!! Read EXCITE, because like antidepressants point is to make neurons release more serotonin by rTMS of depression treatment where machine is set to specific frequency and special program that only use magnetic field excite neural activity and encourage production of serotonin.

rTMS for tinnitus has totally opposite effect and it is to dampen and weaken overactivity in parts of brain that do show overactivity on loreta qEEG.

So therefore to conclude, those 2 treatments are opposite. Their purpose i opposite, and programing of rTMS stimulator is very different.

 

Check out Dr James Fugedy, he has a clinic in Atlanta GA where he offers tDCS and tDMS and VNS for treatment of tinnitus. He offers an in-home treatment program as well as in-clinic treatment. I have no personal experience to share but I am seriously considering trying this.
http://www.transcranialbrainstimulation.com/

 

Anyone signed up to see this? It's today!

https://www.ata.org/news/news/join-us-atas-first-ever-webinar-november-10

 

Bring it on! Given the scope of this problem, one would think the incentives would drive a solution...just sayin'

 

It would make sense to get a brain scan to see where the tinnitus is originating from and then treat it accordingly. Why isn't this done as standard?

 

Hi all,
A friend referred me to this. There's always hope isn't there?
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150716124118.htm#.Vr-41D7ZPxk.facebook

Paul

 

I think there is indeed hope for an effective treatment, we might see one in less than 10 years, even failures lead the science to the right path, It´s nice to see that this treatment is aimed to chronic sufferers and it looks like it really works and can be still improved.