Non-Invasive Neurofeedback Training to Alleviate Tinnitus Distress

Targeted Neurofeedback Training to Alleviate Tinnitus Distress

The broad goals of this project are to apply and validate the therapeutic utility of neurofeedback-guided intervention for tinnitus and its associated psychological sufferings. In this project, the investigators will evaluate whether targeted (non-auditory networks) neurofeedback-based training can restore emotional and cognitive health for individuals with bothersome tinnitus. The investigators will also link individual tinnitus scores with objective brain imaging measures before, during, and after the intervention. The investigators will accomplish these goals by using a combined brain imaging and behavioral experimental framework.

Intervention via neurofeedback has shown promising results for many neurological disorders including schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, ADHD, anxiety and major depressive disorder, with benefits lasting over several weeks after the completion of training ; neurofeedback-guided training has led to participants successfully alter activity in brain regions that mediate emotional response, mood and cognitive control. Because these brain regions and functions are also implicated in bothersome tinnitus, real-time neurofeedback training based on ongoing activity in these targets can potentially improve the psychological distress associated with tinnitus severity. Real-time neurofeedback can provide a valuable training tool for coping with tinnitus-related distress and help underpin the development of intervention-based treatments.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Non-pulsatile tinnitus for at least 6 months,
• Bothersome tinnitus, based on a Tinnitus Functional Index score > 25,
• Normal cognitive processing abilities, based on a Montreal Cognitive Assessment score> 25.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Clinically diagnosed dementia or Parkinson's disease,
• Meniere's disease,
• Severe physical or cognitive impairments that prevent completion of study tasks or scanning,
• History of drug or alcohol abuse,
• History of psychological or neurological illness, except for managed anxiety or depression,
• Severe chronic health problems other than hearing loss or tinnitus,
• Vision that is not normal or not corrected to normal,
• Unable to meet MRI clinical safety screening requirements (e.g., metal in the body, pregnancy, certain implantable devices).