Bimodal Therapy for Chronic Subjective Tinnitus: A Randomized Controlled Trial of EMDR and TRT Versus CBT and TRT

Pathological forgetting from a predictive processing perspective

Recent research suggests that natural forgetting is beneficial, allowing the brain to prioritize relevant information and disregard the irrelevant, thus aiding decision-making and mental health. Conversely, pathological conditions may arise from disruptions in these memory control processes. Without adequate memory control capacities, individuals can suffer from conditions like PTSD or addiction (where unwanted or addiction-related memories persist) on one end of the scale, to conditions such as dementia, Parkinson's disease or traumatic brain injury, which are characterised by heightened rates of forgetting on the other side. This review will explore the concept of predictive processing as a potential mechanism underlying pathological forgetting. It will summarise the neurobiological basis of predictive processing and how it influences what we remember or forget. As evident in the emerging literature, this has distinct implications for understanding pathological forgetting in psychological disorders. Finally, this review will highlight therapeutic interventions that have recently targeted predictive processes and consequently improved symptoms related to forgetting, suggesting translational applications for treatment approaches in these conditions.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) treatment in the medical setting: a systematic review

Background: Literature points towards the potential benefits of the application of Eye Movement and Desensitization Processing (EMDR)-therapy for patients in the medical setting, with cancer and pain being among the domains it is applied to. The field of applying EMDR-therapy for patients treated in the medical setting has evolved to such an extent that it may be challenging to get a comprehensive overview.Objective: This systematic literature review aims to evaluate the use and effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in patients treated in the medical setting.Methods: We performed a literature search following the PRISMA guidelines. Studies were included if the effectiveness of EMDR-therapy was assessed in adult patients treated in a medical setting. Excluded were patients exclusively suffering from a mental health disorder, without somatic comorbidity. A risk of bias analysis was performed. This review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022325238).Results: Eighty-seven studies, of which 26 (pilot)-RCTs were included and categorized in 14 medical domains. Additionally, three studies focusing on persistent physical complaints were included. Most evidence exists for its application in the fields of oncology, pain, and neurology. The overall appraisal of these studies showed at least moderate to high risks of bias. EMDR demonstrated effectiveness in reducing symptoms in 85 out of 87 studies. Notably, the occurrence of adverse events was rarely mentioned.Conclusions: Overall, outcomes seem to show beneficial effects of EMDR on reducing psychological and physical symptoms in patients treated in a medical setting. Due to the heterogeneity of reported outcomes, effect sizes could not be pooled. Due to the high risk of bias of the included studies, our results should be interpreted with caution and further controlled high-quality research is needed.

Current and Emerging Therapies for Chronic Subjective Tinnitus

IMPORTANCE

Chronic subjective tinnitus, the perception of sound without an external source for longer than six months, may be a greatly debilitating condition for some people, and is associated with psychiatric comorbidities and high healthcare costs. Current treatments are not beneficial for all patients and there is a large need for new therapies for tinnitus.

OBSERVATIONS

Unlike rarer cases of objective tinnitus, chronic subjective tinnitus often has no obvious etiology and a diverse pathophysiology. In the absence of objective testing, diagnosis is heavily based on clinical assessment. Management strategies include hearing aids, sound masking, tinnitus retraining therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and emerging therapies including transcranial magnetic stimulation and electrical stimulation.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Although current treatments are limited, emerging diagnostics and treatments provide promising avenues for the management of tinnitus symptoms.

Hearing more to hear less: a scoping review of hearing aids for tinnitus relief

OBJECTIVE

As tinnitus is often associated with hearing loss, hearing aids have been proposed for tinnitus relief in literature for more than 70 years. There is a need for recent literature to be reviewed and guide decision making in tinnitus management. This scoping review aims to provide an update of the available evidence on hearing aids for tinnitus, focussing on the effect of sound amplification or combination devices (i.e. amplification and sound generation within one device).

DESIGN

Research studies were included if they investigated hearing aids or combination devices for tinnitus and were published after 2011.

STUDY SAMPLE

A total of 28 primary research studies were selected.

RESULTS

Positive results of hearing aids in tinnitus patients were shown in 68% of the studies, whereas 14% demonstrated no change in tinnitus distress. However, the quality of the evidence across studies was variable.

CONCLUSIONS

Scientific support for hearing aids and combination devices for tinnitus relief was found. The standalone effect of sound amplification and the added value of sound generators and adjustment of sound processing strategies needs further investigation. Stronger methodology in future studies is needed to reach consensus on how to optimise hearing solutions in a multidisciplinary approach.

Cost-effectiveness of a smartphone Application for Tinnitus Treatment (the CATT trial): a study protocol of a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Tinnitus is a highly prevalent symptom, affecting 10-15% of the adult population. Tinnitus influenced by alterations in somatosensory afference from the neck or jaw is referred to as somatic tinnitus (ST). ST is known to respond positively to physiotherapy treatment; however, it is challenging to motivate patients to systematically perform home exercises correctly, and the necessary tinnitus counselling is often lacking. The aim of this study is twofold, namely to investigate both the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a blended physiotherapy program for ST, including a smartphone application designed to increase exercise therapy compliance and provide tinnitus counselling.

METHODS

This study is designed as a single-blind two-arm 1:1 randomised controlled trial (RCT). Adult patients diagnosed with ST, without psychiatric comorbidities and with experience in using a smartphone, will be recruited at the Ear Nose Throat (ENT) department of the Antwerp University Hospital (UZA). Patients will be randomised into two groups. The experimental group will receive the blended physiotherapy program comprising six in-clinic physiotherapy sessions over a period of 12 weeks (1x/2 weeks) and an exercise and counselling program provided by the smartphone application. The control group will receive the standard care program comprising twelve weekly in-clinic physiotherapy sessions. Each physiotherapy session has a duration of 30 min. The primary outcome measure is the change in Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) score. Additionally, a cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed from a societal perspective considering both direct and indirect costs. There will be follow-up assessments at one and 3 months after the final treatment session.

DISCUSSION

Our study is the first to combine both tinnitus counselling and neck/jaw treatment provided by a digital application in a blended physiotherapy program. This, in order to empower ST patients to improve and better manage their own health and, possibly, reduce economic costs by alleviating the tinnitus burden that ST patients experience. The strengths of the planned RCT are the high-quality methodological design, the large sample size and the expertise of the involved multidisciplinary research team.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinicaltrials.gov NCT05245318 . Registered on 26 January 2022.