Does Listening to Tinnitus Frequency-Filtered Music Relieve Tinnitus?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Tinnitus frequency-filtered music therapy aims to restore lateral inhibition to reverse tonotopic reorganization in the auditory cortex. Although the tinnitus-relieving effect of this therapy has been investigated, the results remain controversial. We performed a prospective, randomized, controlled double-blind study to determine the tinnitus-suppressing effect of tinnitus frequency-filtered music therapy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study included 90 participants who were randomly categorized into an experimental group that listened to tinnitus frequency-filtered music and a control group that listened to music from which a random frequency was removed. The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) score and measures of tinnitus loudness, daily awareness, and tinnitus-induced annoyance were evaluated at the initial visit and at 3 and 6 months (final follow-up). The rates of improvement in THI scores in the two groups were also recorded. RESULTS: All measured variables showed significant improvement in both groups, except the matched tinnitus loudness and minimal masking level. However, no significant intergroup differences were observed in the amount of improvement in THI scores and any other variable. The rates of improvement in THI scores were higher in the control group at 3 and 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Listening to tinnitus frequency-filtered music reduced tinnitus-induced handicaps; however, this approach was not significantly better than listening to music from which a random frequency was removed.