The Treatment of Tinnitus With Transcutaneous Non-invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Inclusion Criteria: * Chronic tinnitus defined as a tinnitus over more than six months * ≥31 points in the tinnitus questionnaire according to Goebel and Hiller * Written informed consent * Both gender, aged from 18 -75 years * If the subject takes psychoactive medication (e.g antidepressants, anticonvulsives) therapy must be stable for at least 10 days. If a treatment with neuroleptics is necessary, only olanzapine and quetiapine should be used. The therapy should be constantly though a necessary change in medication is no reason for exclusion of the subject. Exclusion Criteria: * Objective tinnitus * Participating in other tinnitus treatments within 3 months before study start * Missing informed consent * Pregnancy * Bronchial asthma in medical history * Clinically relevant internistic, neurological or psychiatric diseases * Abuse of drugs or alcohol until 12 weeks before enrollment in the study * Indications of structural impairment of the basal ganglia or the brain stem * Active implants (e.g. cochlea implants, VNS, pacemaker) * Constant all-day use of hearing instruments or noisers on the left the part-time use in special situations (e.g. watching TV is no exclusion criteria * All dermatologic and infectious diseases which affect the area around the pinna and the ear canal * Severe malformation of the pinna * Other circumstances that in the opinion of the investigator might be an obstacle for enrolling the subject