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Efficacy and Central Mechanism of Acupuncture for Treating Chronic Subjective Tinnitus Assessed by fNIRS

Not Applicable
Not yet recruiting
Conditions
Tinnitus
Interventions
Procedure: Acupuncture
Registration Number
NCT05829278
Lead Sponsor
The Third Affiliated hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University
Brief Summary

This randomized controlled pilot trial aims to explore the Efficacy and central mechanism of acupuncture for treating chronic subjective tinnitus using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).

Detailed Description

A total of 60 tinnitus patients were randomly assigned to either an acupuncture group or a waiting list group in a 1:1 ratio. Subjects in the acupuncture group will undergo 4-week acupuncture treatment, while subjects in the waiting list group will receive no treatment during the 4 weeks.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
60
Inclusion Criteria
  1. Bilateral tinnitus that meets the diagnostic criteria for chronic subjective tinnitus.
  2. Male and female, Aged between 18 and 60 years.
  3. Participants can cooperate with experimental procedures and sign written inform consent.
  4. Not participating in other clinical trials concurrently.
Exclusion Criteria
  1. Participants with objective tinnitus
  2. Participants have nervous system diseases or neuropsychiatric diseases that can significantly affect brain blood oxygen metabolism assessed by resting-state functional connectivity.
  3. Participants with severe cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, malignant liver and kidney diseases, and other serious diseases.
  4. Participants have any contraindications for acupuncture (such as a bleeding tendency)
  5. Pregnant or lactating women.
  6. Participants have received tinnitus treatment with drugs or other therapies in the last four weeks.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Acupuncture groupAcupunctureSubjects in the acupuncture group will undergo acupuncture treatment, which is administered 3 times a week for 4 weeks.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC)at baseline (pre-treatment), at 4 weeks after intervention, at 3-month follow-up

RSFC will be measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).

Change in hemoglobin signalsat baseline (pre-treatment), at 4 weeks after intervention, at 3-month follow-up

Hemoglobin signals will be measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in Tinnitus Handicap Inventory scoreat baseline (pre-treatment), at 4 weeks after intervention, at 3-month follow-up

Tinnitus Handicap Inventory contains 25 items, each valued at 0-4 points. A larger score indicates a more severe degree of tinnitus.

Change in average pure-tone thresholdat baseline (pre-treatment), at 4 weeks after intervention, at 3-month follow-up

Average pure-tone threshold will be assessed by pure-tone audiometry.

Change in Hamilton Anxiety Scale scoreat baseline (pre-treatment), at 4 weeks after intervention, at 3-month follow-up

Hamilton Anxiety Scale is a reliable indicator of the severity of anxiety symptoms. The Hamilton Anxiety Scale consists of 14 items, each rated on a 5-point scale from 0 to 4. A larger score indicates a more severe degree of anxiety.

Change in tinnitus loudnessat baseline (pre-treatment), at 4 weeks after intervention, at 3-month follow-up

Tinnitus loudness will be measure by using an 11-point numerical rating scale, with 0 indicating no tinnitus and 10 indicating maximum intolerable tinnitus.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University

🇨🇳

Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

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