Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for tinnitus treatment: No enhancement by the dopamine and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor bupropion

Kleinjung, Tobias; Steffens, Thomas; Landgrebe, Michael; Vielsmeier, Veronika; Frank, Elmar; Burger, Julia; Strutz, Juergen; Hajak, Göran; Langguth, Berthold

doi:10.1016/j.brs.2010.03.007

« Previous Next »BRAIN STIMULATION: Basic, Translational, and Clinical Research in Neuromodulation
Volume 4, Issue 2 , Pages 65-70, April 2011

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for tinnitus treatment: No enhancement by the dopamine and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor bupropion

This study was presented in part at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, San Diego, CA, October 4-8 2009.

Tobias Kleinjung
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
- Correspondence: Tobias Kleinjung, MD, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
Thomas Steffens
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Michael Landgrebe
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Veronika Vielsmeier
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Elmar Frank
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Julia Burger
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Juergen Strutz
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Göran Hajak
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Berthold Langguth
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

Received 8 January 2010; received in revised form 16 March 2010; accepted 30 March 2010. published online 26 April 2010.

Background

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the temporal cortex has shown beneficial effects in patients with chronic tinnitus. Recent preclinical data in healthy controls suggest that the effects of low-frequency rTMS can be enhanced by dopaminergic drugs.

Objective

We investigated whether application of the dopamine reuptake inhibitor bupropion increases the clinical effects of low-frequency rTMS over the auditory cortex in tinnitus patients.

Subjects and Methods

Eighteen subjects with chronic tinnitus received 10 sessions of 1 Hz rTMS (2000 pulses/day, 110% motor threshold) applied to the left temporal cortex. In addition, these subjects received one dosage of 150 mg bupropion (Wellbutrin XL/Elontril) 4 hours before each TMS session. Treatment outcome was assessed with a tinnitus questionnaire over a 3-month period. Treatment effects were compared with a control group of 100 tinnitus patients matched for age, tinnitus duration, and tinnitus questionnaire baseline scores, who received the same rTMS treatment without prior bupropion application.

Results

For the whole sample, there was a significant effect of rTMS treatment over time. There were no significant differences between the bupropion and the control group.