Functional MRI shows promise for treating chronic severe tinnitus

Real-time functional MRI (fMRI) neurofeedback therapy may be more effective for treating chronic severe tinnitus than cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), researchers have found. The study results are good news for those who suffer from the condition, wrote a group led by Nicolas Gninenko, PhD, of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland. "[We found that] real-time fMRI neurofeedback therapy led to a greater reduction in tinnitus distress than the current standard treatment of CBT," the investigators reported. Chronic tinnitus is common, but "no evidence-based universal cure exists and currently available therapeutic options are of limited efficacy or inconsistent benefit," the team noted. CBT is the standard treatment for the condition, with the aim of decreasing distress and debilitating impact caused by tinnitus by having patients focus on "positive and realistic thoughts," but it doesn't address tinnitus' "auditory percept" – that is, what previous research has suggested is excessive activation in the auditory cortex. That's where real-time, functional MRI (fMRI) neurofeedback could come in. The technique could help patients "learn voluntary downregulation of auditory cortex activation … and … improve chronic tinnitus," the group noted. Gninenko and colleagues conducted a study that included 43 individuals with chronic severe tinnitus who were randomized between December 2017 to December 2021 to receive either CBT for 10 weekly group sessions (...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Subspecialties Neuroradiology Source Type: news