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TinnitusdeepTMSNCT07885176

Deep Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in the Treatment of Tinnitus

A study testing DeepTms in people with Tinnitus and Tinnitus, Bilateral, run by University of Regensburg at 1 site in Germany.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

Study of the efficacy of different H-coils in chronic tinnitus. Hypothesis: Active Deep repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation deeprTMS reduces tinnitus distress more effectively than placebo stimulation. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 75 years
Conditions the study is for
Tinnitus, Tinnitus, Bilateral
What is being tested?
DeepTms
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
60 participants
Where
1 siteGermany
Study dates
19 Sep 2026to 31 Aug 2029
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 75 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Chronic tinnitus (> 6 months)
  • Moderate tinnitus burden-corresponding to a score of ≥ 18 on the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory
  • Stable medication regimen with psychoactive substances

Who cannot join

  • Objective tinnitus
  • Severe and unstable internal medicine, neurological, and psychiatric comorbidities (particularly acute psychosis, severe depression, or substance dependence; epilepsy; brain tumor; encephalitis; history of traumatic brain injury)
  • Presence of contraindications for TMS (electrical implants or metallic objects in the body, such as a pacemaker or insulin pump)
  • Currently undergoing or planning to undergo tinnitus treatment during the study
  • Meniere's disease, otosclerosis, acoustic neuroma, or other clear-cut or treatment-requiring causes of tinnitus

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Stefan Schoisswohl, Prof. Dr. contact

+49 941 941 1284

stefan.schoisswohl@ukr.de

Susanne Staudinger, M.A. contact

+49 941 941 2096

susanne.staudinger@medbo.de

Germany1 site, 1 recruiting
  • Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center of Neuromodulation / TMS, University Regensburg

    Regensburg, Bavaria, 93053

    Susanne Staudinger, M.A., +49 941 941 2096, susanne.staudinger@medbo.de

    Area Hofmann, +49 941 941 2098, area.hofmann@medbo.de

    Recruiting

Other trials in Germany

About this study

Study of the efficacy of different H-coils in chronic tinnitus. Hypothesis: Active Deep repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation deeprTMS reduces tinnitus distress more effectively than placebo stimulation.

Randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study with three treatment arms; additional comparison with a historical rTMS control group.

Read the detailed description

A two-week treatment study is planned to investigate the effectiveness of different deepTMS coils in the treatment of tinnitus. The study plans to enroll 60 patients with chronic subjective tinnitus. Recruitment will take place primarily through the affiliated interdisciplinary Tinnitus Center in Regensburg, as well as through posters or flyers at private practice physicians' offices and hearing aid specialists. After successful screening, standard audiological measurements (hearing threshold, tinnitus matching, etc.) and verification of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, study participants will be randomized into one of three treatment groups, each consisting of 20 patients: (1) 18 Hz deepTMS with the H1 coil; (2) 1 Hz deepTMS with the H4 coil; (3) 18 Hz placebo deepTMS with the H7 coil.

Two groups receive active deepTMS treatment, while the third group receives a placebo stimulation. The RCT version of the BrainsWay H7 coil is used for the placebo treatment. The placebo coil is integrated into the same stimulation helmet as the active treatment coil. The placebo stimulation generates acoustic and somatosensory stimuli comparable to those of the active stimulation but does not induce an electric field strong enough for therapeutic cortical stimulation.

The study plans to compare the H1 coil with the H4 coil. Furthermore, the treatment effects will be compared with a placebo treatment as well as with a matched historical control group of patients who were treated with conventional left temporal low-frequency rTMS at the Center for Neuromodulation at the University of Regensburg. The treatment phase corresponds to a standard rTMS treatment for tinnitus and consists of 10 weekday stimulation sessions over two weeks, with 2,000 pulses per session. Before treatment begins, each patient's individual resting motor threshold (RMT) is determined; this is used to set the stimulation intensity for the treatment. The stimulation intensity is gradually increased over the course of the first three treatment sessions from 100% to a maximum of 120% of the RMT. If the stimulation is perceived by the patients as too unpleasant or painful, the intensity is not increased further; treatment continues at the intensity level individually tolerated by each patient. Before and after the 2-week treatment period, patients are given several standardized tinnitus and health questionnaires, and standard audiological measurements are performed. In addition, a follow-up visit is scheduled ten weeks after the end of treatment to assess any potential lasting effects of the treatment. The following questionnaires are used:

  • The European School for Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Research Screening Questionnaire (ESIT-SQ)
  • Tinnitus Sample Case History Questionnaire (TSCHQ)
  • Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI)
  • Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI)
  • Mini Tinnitus Questionnaire (mini-TQ)
  • Tinnitus Analogscales
  • Major Depression Inventory (MDI )
  • WHO-Quality of Life (WHOQoL-BREF)
  • Clinical Global Impression Scale - Improvement (CGI-I) The primary endpoint is defined as the change in the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) from baseline (before treatment begins) to the end of treatment, as well as a comparison of this change between the treatment groups. Participants are also asked to rate the loudness of their tinnitus before and after active or placebo stimulation, respectively, in order to assess short-term changes in tinnitus perception. Patients in the placebo group will be given the opportunity to receive active treatment after the study is completed. This consists of a 10-day treatment course with 2,000 pulses per session using the H7 coil and an 18 Hz protocol.

There are no plans to calculate the required sample size, as only a single-case trial using deepTMS for tinnitus has been conducted to date. In addition, different coil geometries are used compared to conventional TMS studies. Therefore, it is difficult to estimate the potential effect size.

Being tested
DeepTms
Keywords
Tinnitus, DeepTMS
Medical subject headings
Tinnitus

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • DeepTmsDevice

    2 weeks deepTMS with different H-coils, 2000 pulses per session, Follow Up 10 weeks after treatment end

Study groups in NCT07885176
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
H1-coilExperimental18 Hz, 2000 pulses
Receives: Device: DeepTms
H4-coilExperimental1 Hz, 2000 pulses
Receives: Device: DeepTms
H7-coilSham comparator18 Hz, 2000 pulses placebo
Receives: Device: DeepTms

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Changes in Tinnitus Burden

    Changes in Tinnitus Burden Measured Using the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) from Baseline to the End of Treatment, Including Group Comparisons.

    The THI consists of 25 items designed to evaluate the perceived impact of tinnitus on an individual's daily life. Each item provides three response options: 'No', 'Sometimes' and 'Yes', which are scored as 0, 2 and 4 points respectively. The total THI score is obtained by summing the scores of all items, resulting in a score that ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater perceived handicap due to tinnitus.

    Measured: 12 weeks: from enrollment to the end of treatment after two weeks, plus Follow Up after 10 weeks

Secondary outcomes (7)
  1. Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI)

    Changes in TFI:

    The TFI measures the functional impact of tinnitus and consists of 25 items. It includes 8 subscales: cognitive interference, auditory perceptual difficulties, intrusiveness, sleep disturbances, disturbances of relaxation, quality of life impairment, emotional distress, and reduced sense of control. The total score ranges from 0 and 100. A lower score indicates greater perceived distress due to tinnitus.

    Measured: 12 weeks: from enrollment to end of treatment after 2 weeks, plus Follow Up after 10 weeks

  2. Tinnitus loudness

    short-term changes in tinnitus loudness, ranging from 0% to 200% (0%=no tinnitus perception, 50% = half of the usually perceived tinnitus loudness, 100% usually perceived tinnitus loudness, 200%=twice as loud as usually perceived tinnitus loudness

    Measured: 12 weeks: from enrollment to end of treatment after 2 weeks, plus Follow Up after 10 weeks

  3. Clinical Global Inventory - Improvement Scale

    Within 1 question, patients are asked to rate the overall improvement of their tinnitus complaints compared to before the treatment has started on a 7-point Likert scale (1-"very much better," 2-"much better," 3-"minimally better," 4-"no change," 5-"minimally worse," 6-"much worse," 7-"very much worse").

    Measured: end of treatment after two weeks, plus Follow Up after 10 weeks

  4. Mini-Tinnitus Questionnaire (Mini-TQ)

    The Mini-TQ is a validated, 12-item patient-reported outcome measure designed to assess tinnitus-related psychological distress and its impact on daily life. Each item is scored on a 3-point scale: true (2 points), partly true (1 point), or not true (0 points), yielding a total score of 0-24, with higher scores indicating greater tinnitus-related distress.

    Measured: 12 weeks: from enrollment to end of treatment after 2 weeks, plus Follow Up after 10 weeks

  5. Major Depression Inventory (MDI)

    The MDI is a validated 10-item self-report questionnaire assessing depressive symptoms. Items are rated from 0 (at no time) to 5 (all the time). For items 8 and 10, the higher sub-item score is used. The total score ranges from 0-50, with higher scores indicating greater depressive symptom severity.

    Measured: 12 weeks: from enrollment to end of treatment after 2 weeks, plus Follow Up after 10 weeks

  6. Tinnitus Analogue Scales

    Participants rate the loudness of their tinnitus (0-not at all loud; 10-extremely loud), the tinnitus-induced discomfort (0-no discomfort; 10-severe discomfort), annoyance (0-not at all annoying; 10-extremely annoying), unpleasantness (0-not at all unpleasant; 10-extremely unpleasant) as well as the possibility to ignore their tinnitus (0-very easy to ignore; 10-impossible to ignore) on a Visual Analog Scale (VAS).

    Measured: 12 weeks: from enrollment to end of treatment after 2 weeks, plus Follow Up after 10 weeks

  7. World Health Organization-Quality of Life instrument (WHOQOL-BREF)

    A 26-item validated, self-report questionnaire assessing quality of life across four domains: physical health (items 3, 4, 10, 15-18), psychological health (items 5-7, 11, 19, 26), social relationships (items 20-22), and environment (items 8, 9, 12-14, 23-25). Items 1 and 2 assess overall quality of life and general health, respectively.

    Scoring: Items are rated on a 5-point scale (1-5). Domain scores are transformed to a 4-20 or 0-100 scale, with higher scores indicating better quality of life. Items 3, 4, and 26 are reverse-scored.

    Measured: 12 weeks: from enrollment to end of treatment after 2 weeks, plus Follow Up after 10 weeks

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted21 Oct 2026
  2. Study start19 Sep 2026
  3. Primary completion31 Dec 2028 (estimated)
  4. Study completion31 Aug 2029 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
Randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study with three treatment arms; additional comparison with a historical rTMS control group.
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
60 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07885176
Sponsor's protocol ID
26-4807_1-101
Acronym
deepTMS
Status last verified
Oct 2026
First submitted
6 Oct 2026
Last updated
21 Oct 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Salviati M, Bersani FS, Calabria LF, Rapinesi C, Kotzalidis GD, Minichino A, Romano A, Moraschi M, Chiacchiararelli L, Bozzao A, Cianfrone G, Girardi P. Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation in a woman with chronic tinnitus: clinical and FMRI findings. Seeking relief from a symptom and finding vivid memories by serendipity. Brain Stimul. 2014 May-Jun;7(3):492-4. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2014.02.005. Epub 2014 Feb 20. No abstract available.

    PubMed 24685051

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing DeepTms in people with Tinnitus and Tinnitus, Bilateral, run by University of Regensburg at 1 site in Germany.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 21 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Germany. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Stefan Schoisswohl, Prof. Dr. (+49 941 941 1284, stefan.schoisswohl@ukr.de), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Changes in Tinnitus Burden (time frame: 12 weeks: from enrollment to the end of treatment after two weeks, plus Follow Up after 10 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07885176, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 21 Oct 2026.

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