Reversing Synchronized Brain Circuits Using Targeted Auditory-Somatosensory Stimulation to Treat Phantom Percepts: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Summary

A double-blind, crossover randomized clinical trial in 99 adults with somatic tinnitus tested a take-home device delivering precisely-timed bisensory (auditory + somatosensory) stimulation vs. auditory-only control. Active treatment produced clinically significant reductions in the Tinnitus Functional Index and tinnitus loudness (up to ~11 dB by week 12), with benefits extending into the washout phase.

Key findings

• Active bisensory treatment lowered Tinnitus Functional Index by ~12 points at 6 weeks (P < .001); auditory-only did not.
• Tinnitus loudness fell by up to ~11 dB SL by week 12 of the bisensory phase.
• Effects persisted into the washout phase, indicating a prolonged treatment effect.
• Confirms in humans the DCN plasticity mechanism first shown in animal models.