Tinnitus

Tinnitus refers to a ringing, humming, buzzing, or hissing sound in one or both of your ears that does not come from an external source.

Tinnitus is often a symptom of another underlying condition, such as:

  • age-related hearing loss

  • noise-induced hearing loss

  • ear injuries and trauma

  • health conditions (such as hypertension, migraines, Ménière’s disease, and lupus)

It affects about 15% of adults worldwide, and it is most common in older adults.

Research has shown that TMS is a promising treatment for tinnitus.

By applying an inhibitory stimulation pattern to the Heschl’s gyrus, TMS can reduce the overactivity in the auditory cortex, and thus reduce the severity of tinnitus.

1. Liang, Z., Yang, H., Cheng, G., Huang, L., Zhang, T., & Jia, H. (2020). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on chronic tinnitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC psychiatry, 20(1), 547. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02947-9

2. Denton, A. J., Finberg, A., Ashman, P. E., Bencie, N. B., Scaglione, T., Kuzbyt, B., Telischi, F. F., Mittal, R., & Eshraghi, A. A. (2021). Implications of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation as a Treatment Modality for Tinnitus. Journal of clinical medicine, 10(22), 5422. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10225422

3. Galal, S., Ismail, N., & Niel, G. (2020). A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials on the Effect of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Tinnitus Management. Central Asian journal of global health, 9(1), e356. https://doi.org/10.5195/cajgh.2020.356