An Exploratory Study of Bimodal Electro-Aural Stimulation Through the Ear Canals for Tinnit

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the potential for bimodal tory and noninvasive electrical stimulation at the ears to alleviate tonal, somtinnitus that was investigated in a small preliminary trial (11 participants). Design: Auditory stimulation took the form of short “notched noise” bursts tomized to each participant’s tinnitus percept. Simultaneous pulsed electristimulation, intended to facilitate neuroplasticity, was delivered via hydroelectrodes placed in opposite ears. Results: After a 6-week intervention period, average Tinnitus Functional In(TFI) and Tinnitus Primary Function Questionnaire (TPFQ) scores were content with clinically meaningful improvements in the study population. Matudes and effect sizes of improvements in TFI and TPFQ are comparabthose reported in other recent bimodal therapy studies using different audand electrical stimulation parameters. Conclusions: Our results should be considered preliminary given the ssample size, lack of crossover data, and small subject pool. When considalongside other recent bimodal therapy results, we do believe that there therapeutic benefits of bimodal stimulation for tinnitus sufferers that have potential to help some with tinnitus, with a variety of stimulation paramand electrode placements.