Maastricht UMC+ finds breakthrough in tinnitus treatment with deep brain stimulation
Deep brain stimulation, or DBS, is safe and possibly effective for people with severe tinnitus, according to a new study from Maastricht UMC+ that involved four patients undergoing brain surgery.
None of the patients treated with brain stimulation experienced lasting side effects, and three reported a reduction in symptoms. The results from the first treated patients were published Tuesday in Neurotherapeutics.
Tinnitus, also known as ringing in the ears, is a condition in which people constantly hear a sound without an external source. The sound may be a ringing, hissing, or humming. Tinnitus often arises when the auditory system is disrupted, usually due to inner-ear or nerve damage from loud noise, infections, aging, or other ear-related problems.
An estimated 14 percent of the population suffers from the condition to some extent. For a small group, existing treatments—such as hearing aids or cognitive therapy—are insufficient.
“They often continue to struggle with persistent symptoms that seriously disrupt their functioning, mood, and sleep,” said lead researcher Mark Janssen, a neurologist and clinical neurophysiologist.
That issue triggered the researcher and his team to examine whether deep brain stimulation—a technique successfully used for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease—could also provide relief for severe tinnitus.
The main question the research team sought to answer was whether deep-brain stimulation is safe for people with tinnitus. “Fortunately, that turned out to be the case,” Janssen said. He added that the surgery caused symptoms such as headaches and nausea, but they disappeared quickly.
During the procedure, neurosurgeons placed a thin electrode on both sides of the medial geniculate body, a specific brain region involved in processing sound. The electrodes are connected to a small neurostimulator placed under the skin of the abdomen. The device delivers small electrical pulses to the brain, influencing brain activity.
Although the study is small, it is “encouraging” that three of the four patients reported fewer tinnitus symptoms one year after surgery, Maastricht UMC+ wrote.
“We also saw this trend of positive changes one year after the surgery in terms of psychological well-being,” Janssen said.
Janssen also explained that, "for the patient who did not notice improvement, the distance between the electrodes and the target area in the brain turned out to be slightly greater than in the others."
“It is a matter of millimeters,” he added, “but this suggests that the precise location of the electrodes is important for the treatment’s effect.”
A follow-up study is now being planned. This research must determine how effective the treatment is in the long term and for whom it works.
