Rewiring the brain to silence Tinnitus's grip?
NCT ID NCT07788638
First seen Aug 26, 2026 · Last updated Aug 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether a technique called neurofeedback can help people with bothersome tinnitus. Using real-time brain scans, participants learn to adjust the activity of brain networks linked to emotion and cognition, with the goal of reducing tinnitus-related distress. The study includes about 20 adults who have had non-pulsatile tinnitus for at least six months and who find it bothersome. Researchers will compare real neurofeedback against a sham version to see if the training can improve tinnitus impact and emotional well-being.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- neurofeedback-guided brain connectivity modulation
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a drug-free way to reduce the distress and psychological burden of chronic tinnitus.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early-stage trial, so results may not apply widely. The training is complex and may not work for everyone, and there is a risk of no lasting benefit.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2026
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 70 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Non-pulsatile tinnitus for at least 6 months, * Bothersome tinnitus, based on a Tinnitus Functional Index score \> 25, * Normal cognitive processing abilities, based on a Montreal Cognitive Assessment score\> 25. Exclusion Criteria: * Clinically diagnosed dementia or Parkinson's disease, * Meniere's disease, * Severe physical or cognitive impairments that prevent completion of study tasks or scanning, * History of drug or alcohol abuse, * History of psychological or neurological illness, except for managed anxiety or depression, * Severe chronic health problems other than hearing loss or tinnitus, * Vision that is not normal or not corrected to normal, * Unable to meet MRI clinical safety screening requirements (e.g., metal in the body, pregnancy, certain implantable devices).
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Beckman Institute Biomedical Imaging Centre
RECRUITINGUrbana, Illinois, 61820, United States
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