Auditory

Nonlinear dynamic neurofeedback: a new approach to the treatment of tinnitus by cerebral neuromodulation. ALDO MESSINA, GIORGIO RAPONI, MARIANNA FRANCO, MICHELA MARIA DI NARDO We provide the preliminary results of our multi-center research Palermo-Milan which aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a new therapeutic tool useful for patients suffering from tinnitus, the Non-Linear Dynamic Neurofeedback. This results in a neuromodulation of brain electrical activity, which we hypothesize is able to improve the perception of tinnitus and the psychophysical symptoms related to it. It is a kind of training that allows the brain to self-regulate its activity by optimizing it. To evaluate its effectiveness we are subjecting voluntary patients, diagnosed with tinnitus, to a series of Non-linear Dynamic Neurofeedback sessions, and we are collecting data from audiometric measurements and self-assessment questionnaires concerning the handicap caused by tinnitus, the level of pathological worry, depression, anxiety, stress and sleep quality. The results that we illustrate, even if to be verified on a larger sample, are promising and seem to confirm the peculiar characteristic of this technique, which is based on the cardinal principles of cerebral activity, selfregulation, neuroplasticity and learning