Effectiveness of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation for the treatment of tinnitus: an interventional prospective controlled study

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this interventional non-randomised prospective controlled study was to assess the effectiveness of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) in human subjects with tinnitus. DESIGN: tVNS device was paired with an auditory stimulation. Treatment and observations were conducted over 12 weeks. Audiological evaluation was performed. Responses from a set of questionnaires and quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) before and after treatment were collected. Voice measurements were done to assess possible side-effects of tVNS. STUDY SAMPLE: The study involved 29 adults who had chronic tinnitus (15 patients who underwent tVNS paired with sounds and a control group of 14 patients who did not). RESULTS: In general, subjective and objective measurements of tinnitus showed no improvement in the study group compared to the controls, although certain parameters as gauged by the questionnaires did statistically improve. The loudness and frequency of tinnitus remained the same in both groups. For the qEEG, activity in the theta band increased significantly in the study group compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The tVNS was not effective in reducing tinnitus symptoms in our study group. However, changes in the theta band suggest there might be cortical effects that might, with sustained treatment, lead to improvements.