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CompletedNCT01663311Ti-CDCUpdated Apr 28, 2014

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation With Double Cone Coil in Chronic Tinnitus

An interventional study of Medial Frontal rTMS Double-Cone-Coil and Left DLPFC Butterfly Coil in Chronic Tinnitus, sponsored by University of Regensburg. Completed at 1 site in Germany. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2014-04-28.

Sponsored by University of Regensburg · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
40
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is used to modulate both the auditory neural pathways contributing to the perception of phantom sounds, and the regulatory neural network responsible for the generation of the individual amount of suffering caused by chronic tinnitus.

Read the detailed description

Tinnitus is the phantom auditory perception of sound in the absence of an external or internal acoustic stimulus. It is a frequent problem which can interfere significantly with the ability to lead a normal life. Treatment remains difficult. Most available therapies focus on habituation rather than treating the cause. Tinnitus has been shown to be generated in the brain, as a result of functional reorganization of auditory neural pathways and tonotopic maps in the central auditory system. Low-frequency rTMS applied to the temporoparietal areas has been investigated for the treatment of hyperexcitability disorders such as auditory hallucinations and tinnitus. Pilot data indicate that taking into account affective components of the multiple overlapping neural networks responsible for the generation of a bothersome subjective tinnitus might enhance the efficacy of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) treatment in chronic tinnitus. A newly developed coil, the so-called double cone coil will be examined with regard to feasibility, safety and clinical efficacy in patients suffering from chronic tinnitus in a controlled pilot trial.

02

Conditions studied

  • Chronic Tinnitus

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Keywords

  • rTMS
  • repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
  • chronic tinnitus
  • subjective tinnitus
  • double cone coil
03

In context

Tinnitus

421 studies on the registry are indexed under Tinnitus; 88 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 40 is below the median of 59 across 346 interventional studies indexed under Tinnitus.

Browse Tinnitus studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Regensburg is the lead sponsor of 71 studies on the registry; 6 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Diagnosis of bothersome, subjective chronic tinnitus
  • Duration of tinnitus more than 6 months

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Objective tinnitus
  • Treatable cause of the tinnitus
  • Involvement in other treatments for tinnitus at the same time
  • Clinically relevant psychiatric comorbidity
  • Clinically relevant unstable internal or neurological comorbidity
  • History of or evidence of significant brain malformation or neoplasm, head injury
  • Cerebral vascular events
  • Neurodegenerative disorder affecting the brain or prior brain surgery;
  • Metal objects in and around body that can not be removed
  • Pregnancy
  • Alcohol or drug abuse
  • Prior treatment with TMS
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Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
40 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Medial Frontal rTMS Double-Cone-Coil

    High frequency rTMS ( Alpine Biomed Mag Pro Option) applied over medial superior frontal cortex (supplementary motor cortex) (Brodman area 6/8),Double-Cone-water-cooled-Coil (2000 Stimuli of 10 Hz each session), 110% motor threshold; followed by: low frequency rTMS ( Alpine Biomed Mag Pro Option) applied over left temporoparietal cortex, Butterfly-water-cooled-Coil (2000 Stimuli of 1 Hz each session), 110% motor threshold.

    Device: Medial Frontal rTMS Double-Cone-Coil

  • Experimental
    Left DLPFC Butterfly Coil

    High frequency rTMS ( Alpine Biomed Mag Pro Option): 2000 stimuli of 20 Hz over the left DLPFC (each session), Butterfly-water-cooled-Coil, 110% motor threshold; followed by: low frequency rTMS ( Alpine Biomed Mag Pro Option) applied over left temporoparietal cortex, Butterfly-water-cooled-Coil (2000 Stimuli of 1 Hz each session), 110% motor threshold.

    Device: Left DLPFC Butterfly Coil

Interventions

  • DeviceMedial Frontal rTMS Double-Cone-Coil

    High frequency rTMS ( Alpine Biomed Mag Pro Option) applied over medial superior frontal cortex (supplementary motor cortex) (Brodman area 6/8),Double-Cone-water-cooled-Coil (2000 Stimuli of 10 Hz each session), 110% motor threshold; followed by: low frequency rTMS ( Alpine Biomed Mag Pro Option) applied over left temporoparietal cortex, Butterfly-water-cooled-Coil (2000 Stimuli of 1 Hz each session), 110% motor threshold.

  • DeviceLeft DLPFC Butterfly Coil

    High frequency rTMS ( Alpine Biomed Mag Pro Option): 2000 stimuli of 20 Hz over the left DLPFC (each session), Butterfly-water-cooled-Coil, 110% motor threshold; followed by: low frequency rTMS ( Alpine Biomed Mag Pro Option) applied over left temporoparietal cortex, Butterfly-water-cooled-Coil (2000 Stimuli of 1 Hz each session), 110% motor threshold.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of treatment responders (TQ reduction > 5, contrast Baseline versus end of treatment/ day 12)

    Time frame: Day 12

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change of tinnitus severity as measured by the Tinnitus Questionaire of Goebel&Hiller, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Tinnitus Severity Scale and TBF-12

    Time frame: Baseline vs. day 90

  2. Change of depressive symptoms as measured by the Major Depression Inventory (MDI)

    Time frame: Baseline vs. day 90

  3. Change in quality of life as measured by the WHOQoL

    Time frame: Baseline vs. day 90

07

Study locations

1 site
  • University of Regensburg- Dept of Psychiatry
    Regensburg, 93053, Germany
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 28, 2014, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01663311
Lead sponsor
University of Regensburg
Responsible party
Berthold Langguth, MD, Ph.D. (MD, Ph.D., University of Regensburg) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 13, 2012
Start date
Jul 2012
Primary completion
Jun 2013
Completion
Sep 2013
Last update
Apr 28, 2014

Study contacts

Berthold Langguth, MD, Ph.D.
principal investigator · University of Regensburg, Dept of Psychiatry

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Apr 2014. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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