AUTHOR=Schoisswohl Stefan , Langguth Berthold , Schecklmann Martin 

TITLE=Short-Term Tinnitus Suppression With Electric-Field Guided rTMS for Individualizing rTMS Treatment: A Technical Feasibility Report

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2020.00086

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2020.00086

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> Past research highlighted the benefits of personalized repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for the treatment of chronic subjective tinnitus.</p><p><bold>Objective/Hypothesis:</bold> The objective was to investigate the feasibility of rTMS personalization by identifying individually optimal stimulation parameters in test sessions. Particularly, effectiveness and retest–reliability of different stimulation parameters were examined.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Via electric-field guided rTMS, five patients were stimulated with different frequencies on three positions of the left and right superior temporal gyrus on 2 separate days. After each stimulation, the patients had to evaluate tinnitus loudness and discomfort of the used protocol.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Individualization of rTMS was possible in all five patients. Significant lower tinnitus loudness was found for 1 Hz stimulation. Positive correlations between 2 days were observed for hemisphere (left, right), position (mSTG, pSTG), and frequency (1, 10, 20 Hz). High-frequency stimulation produced high discomfort.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> Personalization of rTMS is considered as feasible. Consistency of parameter-specific tinnitus suppression is demonstrated.</p>