Neuro-Music Therapy for Recent-Onset Tinnitus A Pilot Study

Miriam Grapp, Elisabeth Hutter, Heike Argstatter, Peter K. Plinkert, Hans Volker Bolay
DOI: SAGE journals 10.1177/2158244013489692 Published 21 May 2013
http://sgo.sagepub.com/content/3/2/2158244013489692
Abstract
The aim of this pilot study was the evaluation of the neuro-music therapy approach as a new treatment option for patients with recent-onset tinnitus whose tinnitus symptoms were enduring after initial pharmacological treatment. In all, 15 patients with recent-onset tinnitus took part in our manualized short-term music-therapeutic treatment. Tinnitus severity and individual tinnitus distress were assessed by the German version of the tinnitus questionnaire (TQ) and the Attention and Performance Self-Assessment Scale (APSA) at three different measurement times: baseline (T0), start of treatment (T1), and end of treatment (T2). Score changes in TQ and APSA from start to end of treatment indicated significant improvements in tinnitus-related distress. According to the Jacobson and Truax reliable change index (RC), 73.3% of the patients showed a reliable reduction in individual TQ-score. The neuro-music therapy for recent-onset tinnitus according to the “Heidelberg Model” introduced in this pilot study seems to provide an effective treatment option for patients with recent-onset tinnitus.