According to the Veterans Affairs Portland Medical Centre and Oregon Health & Science University, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is beneficial to individuals suffering from tinnitus.
"For some study participants, this was the first time in years that they experienced any relief in symptoms," Robert L. Folmer, the study's lead researcher who works for the National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research at the VA Portland Health Care System, reported.
Tinnitus is usually manifested by hearing unrelenting sound which could vary from ringing or buzzing to a simple hiss or hum without any sound source. This could prove inconvenient to an individual, which could either lead to lack of sleep or distracted concentration.
No proven treatment is available until now, but patients could develop their own coping mechanisms to manage tinnitus, such as taking medications, noise suppression and now, rTMS.
Folmer and his team conducted the study by designing a TMS system that releases a conical magnetic field that go through the scalp and skull, which in turn connects with the brain tissue. Higher stimulation intensity causes the magnetic field to go deeper, affecting neural activity even further.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation but for depression only.
The result of the study, published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, revealed positively with regards to the treatment but researchers cautioned replacement for current treatment protocols.
"We do not believe that rTMS should be viewed as a replacement for effective tinnitus management strategies that are available now. Instead, rTMS could augment existing tinnitus therapies and provide a viable option for patients who do not respond favorably to other treatments," Folmer continued.
Using low-frequency rTMS was found to have a good effect in minimizing the activity occurring in this part of the brain.
