Investigating the Efficacy of an Individualized AlphaDelta Neurofeedback Protocol in the Treatment of Chronic Tinnitus

الملخص EN

First attempts have demonstrated that the application of alpha/delta neurofeedback in the treatment of chronic tinnitus leads to a reduction of symptoms at the group level.

However, recent research also suggests that chronic tinnitus is a decidedly heterogeneous phenomenon, one that requires treatment of distinct subgroups or even on an individual level.

Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate an individually adjusted alpha/delta neurofeedback protocol.

Following previous studies, the delta band fixed between 3 and 4 Hz was chosen as the frequency for inhibition.

However, unlike the previous studies, the frequency range for the rewarded alpha band was not fixed between 8 and 12 Hz but rather individually determined according to each patient’s specific alpha peak frequency (IAF).

Twenty-six chronic tinnitus patients participated in 15 weekly neurofeedback training sessions and extensive pre- and post-tests, as well as follow-up testing 3 and 6 months after training.

The main outcome measures were tinnitus-related distress measured with the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ), tinnitus loudness, and pre- and post-training resting-state EEG activity in trained frequency bands.

In Results, the neurofeedback protocol led to a significant reduction of tinnitus-related distress and tinnitus loudness.

While distress remained on a low level even 6 months after the completion of training, loudness returned to baseline levels in the follow-up period.

In addition, resting-state EEG activity showed an increase in the trained alpha/delta ratio over the course of the training.

This ratio increase was related to training-induced changes of tinnitus-related distress as measured with TQ, mainly due to increases in the alpha frequency range.

In sum, this study confirms the alpha/delta neurofeedback as a suitable option for the treatment of chronic tinnitus and represents a first step towards the development of individual neurofeedback protocols.

This clinical trial was registered online at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02383147) and kofam.ch (SNCTP000001313).