What clinical trials are currently enrolling for transcranial magnetic stimulation as a tinnitus treatment?
Executive summary
Clinical research into transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for chronic tinnitus continues but reporting in the provided sources does not supply a definitive, up‑to‑date list of trials that are actively recruiting; primary registries and recent reviews show registered trials, long-standing pilot and randomized studies, and calls for larger multisite enrollment but the current enrollment status is not documented in the supplied material [1] [2] [3]. Investigators from academic centers and the VA have run the largest U.S. trials to date and multiple protocol variants (low‑frequency, high‑frequency, multilocus, theta‑burst) remain under study, yet the sources emphasize heterogeneity of methods and the unresolved need for large, multi‑site randomized trials to settle efficacy questions [4] [5] [6] [7].
1. Registered trials exist but the supplied records don’t confirm recruiting status
ClinicalTrials.gov entries tied to tinnitus rTMS research appear in the provided reporting — for example the trial with identifier NCT01104207 is listed and tied to the randomized rTMS trial reported in JAMA Otolaryngology, but the search snippets do not include the trial’s current recruitment label or dates, so the available records cannot be used to assert that any specific trial is currently enrolling [1] [8]. Another registry entry (NCT03699826) is referenced in the data set, but the snippet shows only that a study record exists without revealing current status or site contact details, which means the public registry entries exist but their live recruiting status cannot be verified from the supplied excerpts [9].
2. Large-scale and VA-led efforts have previously recruited substantial cohorts, but their present enrollment cannot be confirmed here
The VA’s National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (NCRAR) under Dr. Robert Folmer led what was described as the largest U.S. clinical trial effort in its day, with press reporting noting dozens enrolled and expectations of further enrollment, but that account dates to an earlier phase of recruitment and the supplied item does not document current open slots or completion status for that or follow‑on trials [4]. The JAMA randomized clinical trial and related analyses grew out of these registered efforts and form much of the evidence base referenced in subsequent systematic reviews, but those publications report trial outcomes and follow‑up schedules rather than live recruitment lists [10] [8].
3. Research activity is active and methodologically varied, but heterogeneity clouds a simple recruiting snapshot
Systematic reviews and recent feasibility and observational series show ongoing academic interest in varied rTMS approaches — multilocus sequential protocols, theta‑burst paradigms, and differing frequency/targeting strategies — with studies continuing into the 2020s at centers such as UCLA and in international trials, confirming active investigation though not necessarily active recruitment for any particular protocol described here [5] [6] [11] [12]. Reviews explicitly highlight heterogeneous results across trials and call for large multi‑site randomized trials to determine which protocols, if any, are reliably effective, a recommendation that implies ongoing protocol development and potential future recruitment drives but does not equate to confirmed current enrollment [2] [3] [7].
4. What can be reliably concluded from the provided materials
From the supplied reporting it is verifiable that multiple clinical trials of rTMS for tinnitus have been registered and conducted (including the trial associated with NCT01104207 and later feasibility/observational studies), that major institutions including the VA and university TMS services have led sizable studies, and that systematic reviews document mixed outcomes and methodological heterogeneity [1] [10] [4] [5] [6] [11] [3]. What cannot be confirmed from the provided sources is a current, enumerated list of trials that are actively enrolling today: recruitment labels, site contact information, and open‑enrollment status are not included in these snippets [1] [9].
5. Practical next steps implied by the reporting
Given the limitations of the supplied records, the most reliable path to a current enrollment list is to query the live ClinicalTrials.gov entries (searching identifiers like NCT01104207 and NCT03699826) and institutional trial pages referenced in the literature (VA NCRAR, university TMS services) to obtain up‑to‑date recruiting status and contact information; the American Tinnitus Association and recent systematic reviews can contextualize which protocols are most studied and which centers are active, but those sources in the package do not substitute for registry status checks [13] [11] [7].