Reduction of cortical excitability and increase of thalamic activity in a low-frequency rTMS treatment for chronic tinnitus

Low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has received increasing attention for the treatment of tinnitus, but its therapeutic mechanisms are unclear. We performed low-frequency rTMS treatment for a patient with chronic tinnitus and examined changes of cortical excitability a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neurocase 2015-05, Vol.21 (3), p.339-344
Main Authors: Takahashi, Shun, Ukai, Satoshi, Tsuji, Tomikimi, Ueyama, Takashi, Kono, Masamitsu, Yamanaka, Noboru, Shinosaki, Kazuhiro
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
cerebral blood flow
Cerebral Cortex - physiopathology
Cerebrovascular Circulation - physiology
Chronic Disease
cortical excitability
Female
Humans
Middle Aged
paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation
Positron-Emission Tomography
repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
thalamus
Thalamus - physiopathology
tinnitus
Tinnitus - therapy
Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation - methods
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Summary:Low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has received increasing attention for the treatment of tinnitus, but its therapeutic mechanisms are unclear. We performed low-frequency rTMS treatment for a patient with chronic tinnitus and examined changes of cortical excitability and cerebral blood flow using paired-pulse TMS and single-photon emission computed tomography. After the rTMS treatment, tinnitus loudness was decreased, cortical excitability was reduced, and blood flow in the thalamus was increased. Our results suggest that low-frequency rTMS treatment reduces tinnitus loudness by an inhibitory effect on the cortical excitability and a remote activation effect on the thalamus through the corticothalamic networks.
ISSN:1355-4794
1465-3656
DOI:10.1080/13554794.2014.893000