title: Reduction of cortical excitability and increase of thalamic activity in a low-frequency rTMS treatment for chronic tinnitus.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neuropsychiatry , Wakayama Medical University , Wakayama , Japan.
authors.forename: Shun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ukai
authors.forename: Tomikimi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ueyama
authors.forename: Masamitsu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kono
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamanaka
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shinosaki
mesh_terms: D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D013788:Thalamus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000628:therapy*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods
keywords: cerebral blood flow; cortical excitability; paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation; repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation; thalamus; tinnitus