Tinnitus Treatment with Oxytocin: A Pilot Study.
INTRODUCTION
Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of an external stimulus. It is a frequent condition for which there is as yet no pharmacological treatment approved. Auditory and non-auditory pathways are involved in tinnitus' pathophysiology. Oxytocin is a neurohormone and eventual neurotransmitter that plays a complex role in social cognition and behavior.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the potential of oxytocin as a tinnitus treatment.


STUDY DESIGN
Two studies were performed. Study 1 was a long-term open pilot study, while study 2 investigated short-term effects with a double-blinded placebo-controlled cross-over study.


SETTING
Ambulatory ENT care.


SUBJECTS AND METHOD
In study 1, 15 patients were investigated over a 10-week period in an open pilot study. In study 2, 16 patients were included in a placebo-controlled crossover trial to investigate short-term effects following a single dose.


RESULTS
For the long-term study (study 1), analysis of variance revealed a significant decrease in tinnitus sensation, both for the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and Clinical Global Impression (CGI). Also, the short-term effects in study 2 revealed a significant reduction of tinnitus because of the oxytocin nasal spray as measured with the Visual Analog Scale and the CGI Scale.


CONCLUSION
These preliminary studies demonstrated that oxytocin may represent a helpful tool for treating tinnitus and further larger controlled studies are warranted.
['Azevedo|Andreia Aparecida|AA|', 'Figueiredo|Ricardo Rodrigues|RR|', 'Elgoyhen|Ana Belen|AB|', 'Langguth|Berthold|B|', 'Penido|Norma De Oliveira|NO|', 'Schlee|Winfried|W|']
tinnitus oxytocin nasal sprays hearing disorders pharmacotherapy