BACKGROUND Tinnitus is defined as the perception of sound in the absence of a corresponding external acoustic stimulus. It is a common problem that markedly impairs the quality of life of about 1% of the general population. METHODS We selectively reviewed the pertinent literature to provide an overview of the current treatment options for chronic tinnitus. RESULTS Cognitive behavioral thera...

BACKGROUND Currently, there still is no treatment that eliminates tinnitus in all patients. Recent studies have shown that Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) significantly improves quality of life for tinnitus patients. Also, several studies have reported that transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has a positive effect on attention, working memory, long-term memory and other cognitive p...

Clinical management for patients complaining of severe tinnitus has improved dramatically in the last 25 years. During that period of time, various methods of treatment have been introduced and are being used with varying degrees of success. One method that has received considerable attention is tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT). This method is being practiced by hundreds of clinicians worldwid...

A novel neuro- and psychophysiological pathway for central cognition of tinnitus, i.e. tinnitus sensitization, is presented here. As a complement to the neurophysiological pathway for the conditioned reflex according to Jastreboff, which permits therapeutic procedures to bring about an extinction of the tinnitus (e.g. by the acoustic tinnitus retraining therapy), sensitization can be treated wi...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), a validated patient-based outcomes measure, may improve our ability to quantify impact and assess therapy for patients with tinnitus. DESIGN Nonrandomized, prospective analysis of 32 patients undergoing tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT). Assessment tools included comprehensive audiology, a subjective self-assessment survey ...

OBJECTIVES Vascular tinnitus is the most common form of pulsatile tinnitus, particularly when the tinnitus corresponds with the pulse of patients. In this study, we reviewed the 10-year clinical data on vascular tinnitus of our tinnitus clinic to investigate the frequency of the underlying etiologies, to introduce a diagnostic protocol, and to evaluate the treatment outcomes. METHODS We retro...

OBJECTIVE: The effect of sustained silence was studied on the emergence of tinnitus perception in 120 normal hearing young adult Caucasians and African Americans. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: After sitting in a sound booth for a period of 20 minutes, participants were asked to complete a questionnaire documenting whether they perceived sounds in the silent setting and descriptions of the sounds th...