An interventional study of neurofeedback-guided brain connectivity modulation and sham neurofeedback-guided brain connectivity modulation in Tinnitus Aggravated, Tinnitus and Tinnitus, Subjective, sponsored by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-26.
Sponsored by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
The broad goals of this project are to apply and validate the therapeutic utility of neurofeedback-guided intervention for tinnitus and its associated psychological sufferings. In this project, the investigators will evaluate whether targeted (non-auditory networks) neurofeedback-based training can restore emotional and cognitive health for individuals with bothersome tinnitus. The investigators will also link individual tinnitus scores with objective brain imaging measures before, during, and after the intervention. The investigators will accomplish these goals by using a combined brain imaging and behavioral experimental framework.
Intervention via neurofeedback has shown promising results for many neurological disorders including schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, ADHD, anxiety and major depressive disorder, with benefits lasting over several weeks after the completion of training ; neurofeedback-guided training has led to participants successfully alter activity in brain regions that mediate emotional response, mood and cognitive control. Because these brain regions and functions are also implicated in bothersome tinnitus, real-time neurofeedback training based on ongoing activity in these targets can potentially improve the psychological distress associated with tinnitus severity. Real-time neurofeedback can provide a valuable training tool for coping with tinnitus-related distress and help underpin the development of intervention-based treatments.
444 studies on the registry are indexed under Tinnitus; 98 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 20 is below the median of 60 across 368 interventional studies indexed under Tinnitus.
Browse Tinnitus studies →University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is the lead sponsor of 191 studies on the registry; 29 are open to participants now.
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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.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Short tests of memory and thinking, each scored out of 30. Lower scores suggest more difficulty; criteria give a range, either to include people with memory problems or to leave them out.
MMSE and MoCA
Short tests of memory and thinking, each scored out of 30. Lower scores suggest more difficulty; criteria give a range, either to include people with memory problems or to leave them out.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
The participant will recieve real feedback of their ongoing brain activity
Behavioral: neurofeedback-guided brain connectivity modulation
The participant will recieve pseudo feedback of brain activity, which may be from a non-related brain region, or from another participant's data
Behavioral: sham neurofeedback-guided brain connectivity modulation
Real-time brain signal acquired through fMRI is used to measure ongoing functional connectivity of relevant brain regions (default mode network), and displayed to participants to mediate targeted regulation.
Real-time brain signal acquired through fMRI on a different participant in the past is displayed to participants under this arm during feedback training.
Score on the Tinnitus Functional Index
The Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) is a 25-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure the impact of tinnitus on an individual's daily life and functioning. The scale produces a global score ranging from 0 to 100, where a minimum score of 0 represents no impact and a maximum score of 100 represents severe impact. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome (greater tinnitus severity and distress).
Time frame: Screening, post-intervention
Score on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a 14-item self-report questionnaire used to screen for anxiety and depression in medical settings. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome. Unit of Measure: Score on a scale (0-21)
Time frame: Screening, post-intervention
Percent-change in Functional Connectivity Strength from Baseline to Post-Intervention, participant-level
This measure evaluates changes in brain functional connectivity in the default mode network using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), which is a correlation coefficient of brain activity. This will be measured for each participant. Unit: percentage (change in correlation coefficient)
Time frame: Pre-intervention, post-intervention
Plan to share: Undecided
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