Objective Diagnosis Method and Efficacy of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation as a Treatment for Tinnitus

Variable Changes in Continuous Resting EEG(Electroencephalography) and Auditory ERP(Event-related Potential) Before and After Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Treatment; Double Blind Randomized Controll Trails

Investigation of objective tinnitus diagnosis method through measurement of continuous resting EEG, auditory ERP before and after Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) treatment of tinnitus.

Tinnitus is defined as the subjective perception of a sound in the absence of any physical sound. Therefore, accurate diagnosis of tinnitus is so difficult.

So, Investigators measure auditory ERP through autonomously developed system to make a objective diagnosis tinnitus. Moreover, patients undergo continuous resting EEG measurement.

In this study investigators examined the efficacy of rTMS treatment for tinnitus and check into changes in brain connectivity or auditory task with ERP, continuous resting EEG before and after rTMS. And develop a new test that can detect tinnitus objectively in humans, using the prepulse gap paradigm

Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of chronic tinnitus
• Chronic subjective tinnitus for more than 6 months
• Subject is naive regarding rTMS
• Other concurrent treatments: A four-week washout from any other tinnitus treatment or management program is required prior to entering this study
• Stable enough to complete this study per the opinion of the Study Physician
• No restrictions, provided the dosages have been in place for at least 3 months
• A three month washout from any other tinnitus treatment or management program is required prior to entering this study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Objective tinnitus or tinnitus with treatable cause
• Presence of intracranial or intraocular ferromagnetic materiel or particles
• Cardiac pacemaker or other electronic implants (including cochlear implant) Serious heart disease or other unstable major medical condition
• Personal history of central nervous system disorder, head injury, stroke or seizures
• Familial history of epilepsy
• Concomitant medication with antidepressants and antipsychotics
• Pregnant women
• Others known contraindications to rTMS or brain MRI