Background
Tinnitus is the perception of sound without any external sound source, affecting about 10–15% of the world’s population. Electrical stimulation, especially transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), has shown promising and also heterogeneous results in improving tinnitus symptoms. The present study is a review of the clinical effectiveness and ideal stimulation parameters of the tDCS in tinnitus rehabilitation studies.
Methods
The study was conducted based on PRISMA guidelines and through PubMed and Scopus databases and Google Scholar search engines from 1990 to 2024. Only controlled and randomized trials that used tDCS for tinnitus rehabilitation were considered.
Results
Based on the entry criteria, 14 articles were selected. 12 studies reported some degrees of improvement in symptoms following tDCS sessions, while two did not report any improvement. The maximum number of sessions was 10, and the duration of sessions was 10 to 20 min. The usual current intensities were 1–2 mA. The auditory cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) were the selected sites for electrical stimulation.
Conclusion
The tDCS can be considered an effective technique for tinnitus management in some patients with tinnitus. One of the main challenges in using tDCS for such patients is its standard stimulus parameters. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials with a large homogenous sample size are recommended to reach a definitive conclusion about the standard stimulus parameters of tDCS for tinnitus management.
