NCT06628414 WHITBY: Working Towards Better Healthcare Interventions for Tinnitus: a Brain Stimulation studY
| NCT ID | NCT06628414 |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Phase | — |
| Sponsor | University of Nottingham |
| Condition | Tinnitus |
| Study Type | INTERVENTIONAL |
| Enrollment | 40 participants |
| Start Date | 2024-12-01 |
| Primary Completion | 2026-09 |
Trial Parameters
Eligibility Fast-Check
Enter your details for a quick preliminary check. This does not replace medical advice.
Brief Summary
Tinnitus - the awareness of sound without any outside source - affects around 15% of people and can cause anxiety and depression. Treatment options are limited and do not address tinnitus directly (e.g., reduce its loudness). To do that, we must change brain activity causing tinnitus. Low-dose electrical stimulation, using a technique called transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), is a promising approach. The technique is safe and easy to administer. Several small studies have tested tDCS for tinnitus showing some benefits. To assess whether these benefits will generalise to other patients, we need to conduct a randomised controlled trial - a large, rigorously controlled experiment based on prior agreed procedures. Clinical trials are expensive and time-consuming to run and thus require meticulous pilot work to establish the most effective treatment regimens and the most sensitive measures of treatment outcome. The current study aims to provide such pilot information for a clinical trial of tDCS treatment of tinnitus. Using a total of 40 patients, we will establish how to best to administer tDCS and measure resulting changes in tinnitus perception and associated brain activity. The current study is a crucial first step towards determining whether or not tDCS can effectively treat tinnitus.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Aged 18 or over * Suffering from subjective idiopathic tinnitus * Sufficient understanding of English to be able to provide informed consent * Able to safely undergo tDCS Exclusion Criteria: * Aged under 18 * Not suffering from tinnitus or suffering from objective tinnitus * Insufficient understanding of English to be able to provide informed consent * Unable to safely undergo tDCS as assessed by tDCS Safety Questionnaire * Having taken part in a research study in the last 3 months involving invasive procedures or an inconvenience allowance