The Long-term Effect of Neurofeedback Therapy as Adjuvant Therapy on the Management of Tinnitus: A Prospective Clinical Trial

Background: Recently, various studies have been performed to examine the effect of neurofeedback on treating tinnitus. However, these studies reported different results. In this process, the nervous activity of the patient is evaluated. For example, the aspects associated with brain processes are extracted through temporal processing signs, and then auditory or visual feedback is given to the person. Objectives: The present study investigates the effect of neurofeedback sessions on treating tinnitus. Materials & Methods: In this clinical trial study, 30 patients with tinnitus who met the inclusion criteria were included. They referred to the otorhinolaryngology clinic of Azahra and Kashani hospitals in Isfahan City, Iran. The patients underwent 20 sessions of neurofeedback and were examined at time intervals before the intervention and then 1, 3, and 5 months after the intervention. To evaluate the patients, we used tinnitus handicap inventory and visual analog scale. To examine the changes in VAS and THI data at different times, repeated measure ANOVA test was utilized. The significance level was considered less than 0.05. The analysis was performed in SPSS V. 24. Results: Five months after the intervention, tinnitus handicap inventory (P<0.001) and visual analog scale (P<0.001) scores of the patients significantly improved. Also, no complication resulting from the use of neurofeedback was observed in the patients. Conclusion: Usage of neurofeedback sessions as adjuvant therapy could be an effective treatment in patients who suffer from tinnitus.