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NCT Number: NCT07435298

Navigated Repetitive TMS for Chronic Tinnitus

This study is testing whether a special type of brain stimulation called neuronavigated TMS can help reduce tinnitus (ringing in the ears). 50 people with tinnitus will each receive 20 treatment sessions - 10 real treatments and 10 sham treatments in random order, with a 2-week break between them. Before starting, participants get an MRI brain scan to guide where the stimulation device is placed. Questionnaires of measuring tinnitus severity will be asked four times throughout the study to determine to check the effect of TMS on treating tinnitus.

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Key information

Conditions

Tinnitus Ear Diseases Hearing Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Sensation Disorders Signs and Symptoms

Age range

21 year–80 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Alexandra Hospital

Singapore

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Nicodemus Edrick Oey, MBBS, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

8798 5734

About this study

This study aims to investigate the beneficial effects of neuronavigated TMS (nTMS) in alleviating tinnitus symptoms and to establish safety and tolerability of nTMS in patients with tinnitus.

50 eligible subjects will be recruited and be randomized to receive 10 sessions of daily verum nTMS followed by 10 sessions of daily sham nTMS (verum-sham), or sham nTMS followed by verum nTMS (sham-verum). There will be a 2-week break between the two types of nTMS.

MRI will be conducted before the 1st session of nTMS for the TMS navigation system.

Outcome measures include Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI), and Tinnitus-Visual Analogue Scale (T-VAS). All assessment will be evaluated 4 times- before the 1st nTMS session, after the 10th nTMS session, before the 11th nTMS and after the 20th nTMS session.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age 21-80 years old;
  • Subjective tinnitus severity as per Tinnitus-Visual Analogue Scale of 1/10 and above (in any domain: sound, distress, Quality of Life)

Exclusion criteria

  • Pregnancy;
  • Any metal implants inside the body that are contraindications of MRI scan;
  • Cardiac pacemakers;
  • Epilepsy with recurrent seizures;
  • Cognitively impaired patients will be excluded;
  • Claustrophobia;
  • Uncontrolled medical conditions including hypertension, diabetes mellitus and unstable angina;
  • Major depression and a history of psychotic disorders;
  • Terminal diagnosis with life expectancy <=1 year.

Treatment and study plan

navigated rTMS

Device

Each session of rTMS (real or sham) consists of 1200 stimulations/day, conducted at once a day for five consecutive days (from Monday to Friday).

For sham stimulation, the TMS coil will still centre on the same scalp position, but it was tilted to 90° so that scalp contact and discharging noise were similar, but the magnetic field did not reach cortical neurons at a biologically active level.

The localization of the rTMS stimulation site (left Temporal Cortex) will be directed by a neuronavigation system imported with subject's MRI scan imaging to ensure the accuracy of rTMS stimulation area.

Primary outcomes

  1. Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI)

    Time frame: Week 0

    THI consists of a 25 items which evaluate the subjective burden of tinnitus under a three-response system: yes (score = 4), sometimes (score = 2), or no (score = 0). THI scores of 18-36 are considered as mild tinnitus, 38-56 are considered moderate, and 58-76 are considered severe, while 78-100 are considered catastrophic.

  2. Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI)

    Time frame: Week 3

    THI consists of a 25 items which evaluate the subjective burden of tinnitus under a three-response system: yes (score = 4), sometimes (score = 2), or no (score = 0). THI scores of 18-36 are considered as mild tinnitus, 38-56 are considered moderate, and 58-76 are considered severe, while 78-100 are considered catastrophic.

  3. Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI)

    Time frame: Week 6

    THI consists of a 25 items which evaluate the subjective burden of tinnitus under a three-response system: yes (score = 4), sometimes (score = 2), or no (score = 0). THI scores of 18-36 are considered as mild tinnitus, 38-56 are considered moderate, and 58-76 are considered severe, while 78-100 are considered catastrophic.

  4. Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI)

    Time frame: Week 7

    THI consists of a 25 items which evaluate the subjective burden of tinnitus under a three-response system: yes (score = 4), sometimes (score = 2), or no (score = 0). THI scores of 18-36 are considered as mild tinnitus, 38-56 are considered moderate, and 58-76 are considered severe, while 78-100 are considered catastrophic.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI)

    Time frame: Week 0

    Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) is a 25-item questionnaire with a 10-point Likert scale covering eight underlying dimensions: (a) intrusiveness of tinnitus; (b) sense of control; (c) cognitive interference; (d) sleep disturbance; (e) auditory difficulties; (f) interference with relaxation; (g) quality of life; and (h) emotional distress.

  2. Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI)

    Time frame: Week 3

    Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) is a 25-item questionnaire with a 10-point Likert scale covering eight underlying dimensions: (a) intrusiveness of tinnitus; (b) sense of control; (c) cognitive interference; (d) sleep disturbance; (e) auditory difficulties; (f) interference with relaxation; (g) quality of life; and (h) emotional distress.

  3. Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI)

    Time frame: Week 6

    Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) is a 25-item questionnaire with a 10-point Likert scale covering eight underlying dimensions: (a) intrusiveness of tinnitus; (b) sense of control; (c) cognitive interference; (d) sleep disturbance; (e) auditory difficulties; (f) interference with relaxation; (g) quality of life; and (h) emotional distress.

  4. Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI)

    Time frame: Week 7

    Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) is a 25-item questionnaire with a 10-point Likert scale covering eight underlying dimensions: (a) intrusiveness of tinnitus; (b) sense of control; (c) cognitive interference; (d) sleep disturbance; (e) auditory difficulties; (f) interference with relaxation; (g) quality of life; and (h) emotional distress.

  5. Tinnitus-Visual Analogue Scale (T-VAS)

    Time frame: Week 0

    T-VAS is a clinical scale of the severity of tinnitus in loudness (sound), distress, and Quality of Life (QoL)

  6. Tinnitus-Visual Analogue Scale (T-VAS)

    Time frame: Week 3

    T-VAS is a clinical scale of the severity of tinnitus in loudness (sound), distress, and Quality of Life (QoL)

  7. Tinnitus-Visual Analogue Scale (T-VAS)

    Time frame: Week 6

    T-VAS is a clinical scale of the severity of tinnitus in loudness (sound), distress, and Quality of Life (QoL)

  8. Tinnitus-Visual Analogue Scale (T-VAS)

    Time frame: Week 7

    T-VAS is a clinical scale of the severity of tinnitus in loudness (sound), distress, and Quality of Life (QoL)

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

National University Hospital, Singapore

Other

Collaborators

  • Alexandra Hospital

Registry information

Official study title

Neuronavigated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation As An Adjunctive Treatment For Chronic Tinnitus

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Feb 27, 2026
Registry last updated
Feb 27, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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