Electromagnetic biology and medicine
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Electromagn Biol Med · Sep 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyComparison of the outcomes of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to the ipsilateral and contralateral auditory cortex in unilateral tinnitus.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive method of activating or deactivating focal areas of the human brain. Repetitive TMS (rTMS) applied over the temporoparietal cortex has been reported to show therapeutic effects on tinnitus. We compared the effects of 1 Hz rTMS delivered either contralaterally or ipsilaterally to the symptomatic ear in patients with unilateral tinnitus. ⋯ Finally, significant decreases in THI scores and most VAS were observed 1 month after rTMS in both groups compared to pretreatment. Daily treatment with 1 Hz rTMS ipsilaterally and contralaterally to the side of tinnitus both had significant beneficial effects. The laterality of stimulation with 1 Hz rTMS is not the decisive factor in relieving symptoms.