TMS of the auditory cortex is capable of modifying tinnitus perception for a very short time. The maximal amount of suppression and best stimulation frequency depends on the tinnitus duration.

Introduction: Recent research suggests tinnitus is a phantom phenomenon based on hyperactivity of the auditory system, which can be visualized by functional neuroimaging, and transiently modulated by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). We present the results of the first implanted electrodes on the primary and secondary auditory cortex after a successful TMS suppression. Methods and Materials: Twelve patients underwent an auditory cortex implantation, 10 for unilateral and 2 for bilateral tinnitus, based on >50% suppression applying TMS. Results were analyzed for pure tone tinnitus and white noise tinnitus. Results: TMS results in 77% pure tone tinnitus and 67% white noise reduction. Electrical stimulation via an implanted electrode results in a mean of 97% pure tone tinnitus and 24% white noise suppression. Mean Visual Analogue Scale score decreases from 9.5 to 1.5 for pure tone and from 8.8 to 6.8 for white noise postoperatively. Discussion: Pure tone tinnitus might be the conscious percept of focal neuronal hyperactivity of the auditory cortex. Once visualized, this hyperactivity can be modulated by neurostimulation. Conclusion: The preliminary results of the first implantations suggest that patients with unilateral pure tone tinnitus are good surgical candidates for electrode implantation and permanent electrical stimulation of the auditory cortex, provided that the tinnitus is of recent origin and can be suppressed by TMS.

Tinnitus is a distressing symptom that affects up to 15% of the population for whom no satisfactory treatment exists. The authors present a novel surgical approach for the treatment of intractable tinnitus, based on cortical stimulation of the auditory cortex. Tinnitus can be considered an auditory phantom phenomenon similar to deafferentation pain, which is observed in the somatosensory system. Tinnitus is accompanied by a change in the tonotopic map of the auditory cortex. Furthermore, there is a highly positive association between the subjective intensity of the tinnitus and the amount of shift in tinnitus frequency in the auditory cortex, that is, the amount of cortical reorganization. This cortical reorganization can be demonstrated by functional magnetic resonance (fMR) imaging. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive method of activating or deactivating focal areas of the human brain. Linked to a navigation system that is guided by fMR images of the auditory system, TMS can suppress areas of cortical plasticity. If it is successful in suppressing a patient's tinnitus, this focal and temporary effect can be perpetualized by implanting a cortical electrode. A neuronavigation-based auditory fMR imaging-guided TMS session was performed in a patient who suffered from tinnitus due to a cochlear nerve lesion. Complete suppression of the tinnitus was obtained. At a later time an extradural electrode was implanted with the guidance of auditory fMR imaging navigation. Postoperatively, the patient's tinnitus disappeared and remains absent 10 months later. Focal extradural electrical stimulation of the primary auditory cortex at the area of cortical plasticity is capable of suppressing contralateral tinnitus completely. Transcranial magnetic stimulation may be an ideal method for noninvasive studies of surgical candidates in whom stimulating electrodes might be implanted for tinnitus suppression.

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