Binaural sound therapy for tinnitus treatment: A psychometric and neurophysiological evaluation

David I Ibarra-Zarate; Norberto E Naal-Ruiz; Luz María Alonso-Valerdi

doi:10.1016/j.amjoto.2021.103248

Binaural sound therapy for tinnitus treatment: A psychometric and neurophysiological evaluation

Am J Otolaryngol. 2022 Jan-Feb;43(1):103248. doi: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2021.103248. Epub 2021 Sep 21.

Authors

David I Ibarra-Zarate¹, Norberto E Naal-Ruiz², Luz María Alonso-Valerdi²

Affiliations

¹ Tecnológico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Campus Monterrey, Av. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, 64849 Monterrey, N. L., Mexico. Electronic address: david.ibarra@tec.mx.
² Tecnológico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Campus Monterrey, Av. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, 64849 Monterrey, N. L., Mexico.

PMID: 34563804
DOI: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2021.103248

Abstract

Introduction: Tinnitus is an annoying buzz that manifests itself in many ways. In addition, it can provoke anxiety, stress, depression, and fatigue. The acoustic therapies have become the most commonly applied treatment for tinnitus, either self-administered or clinically prescribed. Binaural Sound Therapy (BST) and Music Therapy (MT) aim to reverse the neuroplasticity phenomenon related to tinnitus by adequately stimulating the auditory path-way. The goal of this research is to evaluate the feasibility of applying BST for tinnitus treatment by comparing its effect with MT effect.

Materials and methods: 34 patients with tinnitus from 29 to 60 years were informed about the experimental procedure and consented their participation. Patients were divided into two groups: 1) MT and 2) BST. They applied their sound-based treatment for one hour every day along eight weeks. Each treatment was adjusted to Hearing Loss (HL) and tinnitus characteristics of each participant. To record EEG data, a bio-signal amplifier with sixteen EEG channels was used. The system recorded data at a sampling frequency of 256 Hz within a bandwidth between 0.1 and 100 Hz.

Results: The questionnaire-monitoring reported that MT increased tinnitus perception in 30% of the patients, and increased anxiety and stress in 8% of them. Regarding EEG-monitoring, major neural synchronicity over the frontal lobe was found after the treatment. In the case of BST reduced stress in 23% of patients. Additionally, BST reduced tinnitus perception similar to MT (15% of patients). With respect to EEG-monitoring, slightly major neural synchronicity over the right frontal lobe was found after the treatment.

Conclusions: MT should be applied with caution since it could be worsening the tinnitus sufferer condition. On the other hand, BST is recommended for tinnitus sufferers who have side effects concerning stress but no anxiety.

Keywords: Acoustic therapy; Binaural sound therapy; Electroencephalography; Music therapy; Tinnitus.

Publication types

Clinical Trial

MeSH terms

Acoustic Stimulation / methods
Acoustic Stimulation / psychology*
Adult
Auditory Perception
Feasibility Studies
Female
Hearing Loss / etiology
Hearing Loss / psychology
Hearing Loss / therapy*
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Music Therapy / methods*
Neurological Rehabilitation / methods
Neurological Rehabilitation / psychology*
Psychometrics
Tinnitus / complications
Tinnitus / psychology
Tinnitus / therapy*
Treatment Outcome