Using PET-CT to Target and Validate Low-frequency TMS as Treatment for Tinnitus

One out of every five people experience tinnitus (a buzzing, ringing, or roaring sound in the ear) ranging from mild to severe impairment. To date there is no effective therapy that seems to help the tinnitus sufferer. The purpose of this study is to develop a therapy using a technique called Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) to hopefully alleviate or reduce the symptoms of tinnitus. This research is being conducted at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). Up to twenty (20) right handed subjects, either males or females, 19-65 years of age, with tinnitus that is severe enough for those persons to seek medical attention will have been seen as patients in the UAMS Hearing and Balance Center, where routine testing includes a physical exam, hearing tests, evaluation of middle ear status, and an MRI scan (a machine that acquires visual images of the brain). A diagnosis of tinnitus will be established after ruling out all other possible causes of the tinnitus.