Auditory discrimination therapy (ADT) for tinnitus management

Prog Brain Res. 2007:166:467-71. doi: 10.1016/S0079-6123(07)66045-2.

Abstract

Auditory discrimination training (ADT) designs a procedure to increase cortical areas responding to trained frequencies (damaged cochlear areas with cortical misrepresentation) and to shrink the neighboring over-represented ones (tinnitus pitch). In a prospective descriptive study of 27 patients with high frequency tinnitus, the severity of the tinnitus was measured using a visual analog scale (VAS) and the tinnitus handicap inventory (THI). Patients performed a 10-min auditory discrimination task twice a day during one month. Discontinuous 4 kHz pure tones were mixed randomly with short broadband noise sounds through an MP3 system. After the treatment mean VAS scores were reduced from 5.2 to 4.5 (p=0.000) and the THI decreased from 26.2% to 21.3% (p=0.000). Forty percent of the patients had improvement in tinnitus perception (RESP). Comparing the ADT group with a control group showed statistically significant improvement of their tinnitus as assessed by RESP, VAS, and THI.

MeSH terms

  • Acoustic Stimulation / methods*
  • Adult
  • Auditory Perception*
  • Discrimination, Psychological*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Psychoacoustics
  • Tinnitus / physiopathology
  • Tinnitus / psychology*
  • Tinnitus / therapy*
  • Treatment Outcome