In the largest US clinical trial of its kind funded by the Veterans Affairs (VA) Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, the VA Portland Medical Center and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) reports that researchers have found that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) significantly improved tinnitus symptoms for more than half of study participants. Their findings were published in the July 16 online edition of the journal JAMA Otolaryngology.

“For some study participants, this was the first time in years that they experienced any relief in symptoms,” said Robert L. Folmer, PhD, research investigator with the National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research at the VA Portland Health Care System, and associate professor of Otolarynology in the OHSU School of Medicine. “These promising results bring us closer to developing a long-sought treatment for this condition that affects an enormous number of Americans…”

According to the announcement from OHSU, tinnitus (ringing, buzzing, or hissing in the ears) affects nearly 45 million Americans and the distraction can impair people’s ability to sleep or concentrate. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that nearly 15% of Americans experience some degree of tinnitus. Currently, there are no proven treatments available, so patients with the condition often develop coping strategies to manage their reaction to tinnitus. Military veterans are at greater risk of developing the condition, and tinnitus is the most prevalent service connected disability in the VA health system. Dr Folmer hopes to conduct a larger clinical trial to refine protocols for the eventual clinical use of TMS for tinnitus.

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