Medical Journal Citations on Tinnitus, Aging, and Cellular Senescence
This document provides a comprehensive list of medical journal citations related to the treatment of tinnitus through meditation and specific frequency therapies, as well as the role of senescent cells in aging and auditory system decline.

Tinnitus Interventions: Meditation and Sound-Based Therapies
A growing body of research explores non-invasive methods for managing tinnitus, a condition characterized by the perception of sound without an external source. These approaches primarily focus on neuromodulation and psychological reframing to reduce the distress and intrusiveness of tinnitus. Key areas of investigation include mindfulness meditation, various forms of sound therapy including binaural beats, and electromagnetic stimulation.

Meditation and Mindfulness-Based Interventions
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) have emerged as promising interventions for tinnitus. These therapies do not aim to eliminate the tinnitus sound itself but rather to change the individual’s relationship with it, reducing associated distress and improving quality of life. Randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that mindfulness practices can lead to a significant reduction in tinnitus severity and psychological distress.

McKenna, L., Marks, E. M., Hallsworth, C. A., & Schaette, R. (2017). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy as a treatment for chronic tinnitus: A randomized controlled trial. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 86(6), 351-361. [Cited by 114]
MBCT is effective in reducing tinnitus severity and psychological distress compared to relaxation therapy.

Rademaker, M. M., et al. (2019). The effect of mindfulness-based interventions on tinnitus distress. PMC Article PMC6838968 [Cited by 46]
Six of seven reviewed studies showed a statistically significant decrease in tinnitus distress scores.

Arif, M., Sadlier, M., Rajenderkumar, D., et al. (2017). A randomised controlled study of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation therapy in the management of tinnitus. Journal of Laryngology and Otology, 131(6), 501-507. [Cited by 71]
Compared mindfulness meditation to relaxation therapy for tinnitus management in an RCT.

Kreuzer, P. M., Goetz, M., Holl, M., Schecklmann, M., et al. (2012). Mindfulness-and body-psychotherapy-based group treatment of chronic tinnitus: A randomized controlled pilot study. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 12, 235. [Cited by 82]
A pilot study demonstrated the feasibility and potential of a mindfulness and body-psychotherapy program.

Marks, E., et al. (2020). “I wasn’t at war with the noise”: How mindfulness based cognitive therapy for tinnitus (MBCT-t) may work. PMC Article PMC7182032 [Cited by 29]
MBCT-t effective in reducing tinnitus-related distress, disability and intrusiveness.

Gans, J. J., et al. (2023). Examination of an online mindfulness-based tinnitus stress reduction program. American Journal of Audiology, 32(2), 387-403. [Cited by 7]
Internet-delivered MBTSR program assessment.

Chatterjee, N., Chattopadhyay, D., et al. (2021). Management of tinnitus in Covid-19 outbreak: A comparative study between mindfulness based tinnitus stress reduction and tinnitus retraining therapy. International Tinnitus Journal, 25(1), 48-55. [Cited by 7]
Comparative study during COVID-19.

Sound Therapy and Specific Frequencies
Sound therapy aims to reduce the perception of tinnitus through various mechanisms, including masking, habituation, and neuromodulation. This includes the use of broadband noise, environmental sounds, and specific frequency stimulation like binaural beats. Binaural beats involve presenting two slightly different frequencies to each ear, creating the perception of a third frequency (the beat). Research is exploring optimal frequencies (e.g., alpha, theta, delta waves) and delivery methods for tinnitus suppression.

Ibarra-Zarate, D. I., et al. (2022). Binaural sound therapy for tinnitus treatment. American Journal of Otolaryngology, 43(1), 103295. [Cited by 21]
Binaural beats at an 8 Hz frequency combined with ocean sounds showed improvement in tinnitus perception. Carrier frequency of 256 Hz within bandwidth 0.1-100 Hz.

David, J. B., Naftali, A., & Katz, A. (2010). Tinntrain: A multifactorial treatment for tinnitus using binaural beats. The Hearing Journal, 63(11), 25-26, 28-29. [Cited by 39]
Uses binaural beats and frequency following response.

Prakash, P., & Konadath, S. (2025). Brainwave entrainment using binaural beats stimulation: Exploring the treatment efficacy in individuals with tinnitus having normal hearing sensitivity. Auris Nasus Larynx, 52(1), 101-109. [Cited by 1]
Beat frequencies: delta (4 Hz), theta (6 Hz), alpha (10 Hz). Compared to standard tinnitus masker.

Bakhtarikia, S., Tavanai, E., Rouhbakhsh, N., et al. (2024). Investigating the effectiveness of music therapy combined with binaural beats on chronic tinnitus: A randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Otolaryngology, 45(3), 104142. [Cited by 3]
Music therapy plus alpha frequency (8 Hz) binaural beats was effective in a randomized controlled trial.

Wang, H., et al. (2020). The state of the art of sound therapy for subjective tinnitus in adults. Therapeutic Advances in Chronic Disease, 11, 2040622320956426. [Cited by 52]
Sound therapy can effectively suppress tinnitus in some patients.

Neff, P., et al. (2017). 10 Hz amplitude modulated sounds induce short-term tinnitus relief. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 9, 130. [Cited by 48]
Sounds modulated at a 10 Hz amplitude induced short-term relief from tinnitus.

Tass, P. A., et al. (2019). Acoustic coordinated reset therapy for tinnitus with perceptual spectral centroid of tinnitus frequency. Scientific Reports, 9, 13250. [Cited by 11]
Acoustic Coordinated Reset (CR) therapy, which is based on neuromodulation principles, showed potential for tinnitus treatment.

Neff, P. K. A., Schoisswohl, S., Simoes, J., et al. (2021). Prolonged tinnitus suppression after short-term acoustic stimulation. Progress in Brain Research, 262, 303-330. [Cited by 11]
Acoustic stimuli matched to frequency or type of tinnitus.

Shulman, A., Strashun, A. M., Avitable, M. J., Lenhardt, M. L., et al. (2004). Ultra-high-frequency acoustic stimulation and tinnitus control: A positron emission tomography study. International Tinnitus Journal, 10(2), 117-129. [Cited by 78]
A study using PET scans investigated the effects of ultra-high-frequency acoustic stimulation on tinnitus control.

Jin, I. K., et al. (2022). The impact of daily hours of sound therapy on tinnitus outcomes. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 65(5), 1683-1695. [Cited by 12]
Sound therapy designed for reducing attention to tinnitus.

Li, J., et al. (2024). The influence of tinnitus frequency on patients’ therapeutic response to acoustic therapy. American Journal of Otolaryngology, 45(5), 104318. [Cited by 1]
Examines therapeutic impact across different tinnitus frequencies.

Francavilla, B., et al. (2024). Personalized sound therapy combined with low and high frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation. PMC Article PMC11432753 [Cited by 1]
Novel multimodal treatment combining personalized sound therapy.

General Sound Therapy Reviews
Hoare, D. J., et al. (2014). Sound therapy for tinnitus management: Practical issues for audiologists. International Journal of Audiology, 53(12), 769-778.

Zenner, H. P., et al. (2017). A systematic review and meta-analysis on the clinical effectiveness of sound therapy in tinnitus management. BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders, 17, 11.

Tyler, R. S., et al. (2017). Vagus nerve stimulation paired with tones for the treatment of tinnitus: A prospective randomized double-blind controlled pilot study in humans. Scientific Reports, 7, 11960.

Dobie, R. A. (1999). A review of randomized clinical trials in tinnitus. The Laryngoscope, 109(8), 1202-1211.

Related Auditory Beat Stimulation
Chaieb, L., Wilpert, E. C., Reber, T. P., & Fell, J. (2015). Auditory beat stimulation and its effects on cognition and mood states. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 6, 70.

Garcia-Gil, M., et al. (2021). The effect of binaural beats on working memory and EEG power spectrum. Scientific Reports, 11, 18462.

David, A. R., et al. (2018). Binaural beats and their effect on tinnitus perception. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 158.

Electromagnetic and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) therapy and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) are non-invasive brain stimulation techniques being investigated for tinnitus treatment. These methods use magnetic fields to modulate neural activity in brain regions associated with tinnitus, such as the auditory cortex. Repetitive TMS (rTMS) has shown particular promise in reducing tinnitus severity in a number of clinical trials.

Folmer, R. L., et al. (2015). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment for chronic tinnitus: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, 141(8), 716-722. [Cited by 112]
A randomized, placebo-controlled trial showed significant and sustained reductions in tinnitus severity with rTMS.

Liang, Z., et al. (2020). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on chronic tinnitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry, 20, 547. [Cited by 45]
A systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that rTMS is an effective treatment for chronic tinnitus.

Folmer, R. L., et al. (2023). Unresolved issues associated with transcranial magnetic stimulation for tinnitus. Frontiers in Neurology, 14, 1204472. [Cited by 6]
Numerous studies report rTMS efficacy for reducing tinnitus severity.

Schoisswohl, S., et al. (2019). rTMS parameters in tinnitus trials: A systematic review. Scientific Reports, 9, 12190. [Cited by 52]
Systematic review of rTMS treatment parameters.

Mulders, W. H. A. M., et al. (2016). The effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in an animal model of tinnitus. Scientific Reports, 6, 38234. [Cited by 33]
rTMS shown to reduce tinnitus in some patients.

De Ridder, D., Verstraeten, E., Van der Kelen, K., et al. (2005). Transcranial magnetic stimulation for tinnitus: Influence of tinnitus duration on stimulation parameter choice and maximal tinnitus suppression. Otology & Neurotology, 26(4), 616-619. [Cited by 271]
Investigated the influence of tinnitus duration on the effectiveness of TMS parameters.

Kleinjung, T., Steffens, T., Sand, P., et al. (2007). Which tinnitus patients benefit from transcranial magnetic stimulation? Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 137(4), 589-595. [Cited by 143]
Identifies which patients benefit from TMS.

Londero, A., Bonfils, P., & Lefaucheur, J. P. (2018). Transcranial magnetic stimulation and subjective tinnitus: A review of the literature, 2014-2016. European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Diseases, 135(1), 51-58. [Cited by 44]
Review of TMS literature for subjective tinnitus.

Dornhoffer, J. L., et al. (2010). Using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for the treatment of tinnitus. Hearing Journal, 63(3), 11-14. [Cited by 6]
Low-frequency magnetic pulses applied to temporal lobe.

Weiler, E. W. J., et al. (2005). Pulsed magnetic-field therapy: A new concept to treat tinnitus. International Tinnitus Journal, 11(1), 35-42. [Cited by 6]
PEMF therapy induced changes in EEG patterns that correlated with a decrease in tinnitus symptoms.

Roland, N. J., et al. (1993). Electromagnetic stimulation as a treatment of tinnitus: A pilot study. Clinical Otolaryngology, 18(4), 278-281. [Cited by 44]
Electromagnetic stimulation may be effective treatment in some tinnitus sufferers.

D’Andrea, A., et al. (2019). Neuropathic pain treatment by pulsed electromagnetic fields: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study. Pain Research and Management, 2019, 1-8.

Markoll, R. (2001). Pulsed signal therapy: A practical guide for clinicians. In: Weiner RS, ed. A Practical Guide for Clinicians. Taylor & Francis. [Cited by 9]
Study of 160 adults with severe tinnitus.

Dennis, R. (2021). PEMF: A survey of clinical and individual uses and perceptions. The Journal of Science and Medicine, 3(1), 1-16. [Cited by 2]
Survey of PEMF clinical and individual uses.

Cellular Senescence, Aging, and the Auditory System
Cellular senescence is a process where cells stop dividing and enter a state of irreversible growth arrest. These senescent cells accumulate with age and contribute to a wide range of age-related diseases. Research is increasingly pointing to the role of senescent cells in the decline of the auditory system, including age-related hearing loss (presbycusis) and potentially tinnitus.

General Senescence and Aging
Kirkland, J. L., & Tchkonia, T. (2017). Cellular senescence: A translational perspective. EBioMedicine, 21, 21-28.

van Deursen, J. M. (2014). The role of senescent cells in ageing. Nature, 509, 439-446.

Baker, D. J., et al. (2016). Clearance of p16Ink4a-positive senescent cells delays ageing-associated disorders. Nature, 530, 184-189.

Xu, M., et al. (2018). Senolytics improve physical function and increase lifespan in old age. Nature Medicine, 24, 1246-1256.

Khosla, S., Farr, J. N., & Tchkonia, T. (2020). The role of cellular senescence in ageing and endocrine disease. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 16, 263-275.

Di Micco, R., et al. (2021). Cellular senescence in ageing: from mechanisms to therapeutic opportunities. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 22, 75-95. [Cited by 2018]

McHugh, D., & Gil, J. (2018). Senescence and aging: Causes, consequences, and therapeutic avenues. Journal of Cell Biology, 217(1), 65-77. [Cited by 1491]

Childs, B. G., et al. (2015). Cellular senescence in aging and age-related disease: From mechanisms to therapy. Nature Medicine, 21(12), 1424-1435. [Cited by 2528]

Zhang, L., et al. (2022). Cellular senescence: a key therapeutic target in aging and age-related diseases. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 132(15), e158450. [Cited by 494]

Li, Y., et al. (2024). Molecular mechanisms of aging and anti-aging strategies. Cell Communication and Signaling, 22, 285. [Cited by 182]

Mylonas, A., & O’Loghlen, A. (2022). Cellular senescence and ageing: Mechanisms and interventions. Frontiers in Aging, 3, 866718. [Cited by 124]

Witham, M. D., et al. (2023). New horizons in cellular senescence for clinicians. Age and Ageing, 52(7), afad127. [Cited by 19]

Qin, Y., et al. (2025). Cellular senescence in health, disease, and lens aging. Pharmaceuticals, 18(2), 244. [Cited by 22]

Senolytics and Anti-Aging Interventions
Fu, T. E., et al. (2025). Senescent cells as a target for anti-aging interventions: From senolytics to immune therapies. Journal of Translational Internal Medicine, 13(1), 5-18. [Cited by 10]

Lelarge, V., et al. (2024). Senolytics: from pharmacological inhibitors to emerging therapies. npj Aging, 10, 13. [Cited by 72]

Saliev, T., et al. (2025). Targeting senescence: A review of senolytics and senomorphics in anti-aging interventions. Biomolecules, 15(6), 860. [Cited by 13]

Rad, A. N., et al. (2024). Current senolytics: Mode of action, efficacy and limitations, and their future. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, 217, 111898. [Cited by 43]

Raffaele, M., et al. (2022). The costs and benefits of senotherapeutics for human health. The Lancet Healthy Longevity, 3(1), e67-e77. [Cited by 116]

Krzystyniak, A., et al. (2022). Combination of dasatinib and quercetin improves cognitive function in aged animals. Aging Cell, 21(2), e13540. [Cited by 86]

Alharbi, K. S., et al. (2022). A study of the molecular mechanism of quercetin and dasatinib combination as senolytic in alleviating age-related and kidney diseases. Journal of Food Biochemistry, 46(12), e14471. [Cited by 27]

Senescent Cells and Auditory System / Hearing Loss
The accumulation of senescent cells in the inner ear, particularly in the cochlea, is believed to contribute to the degeneration of sensory hair cells and other auditory structures. This process is driven by factors like oxidative stress and DNA damage. The development of senolytics—drugs that selectively clear senescent cells—offers a novel therapeutic avenue for preventing or treating age-related hearing loss.

Chen, Y., et al. (2025). Senolytic treatment alleviates cochlear senescence and delays age-related hearing loss in C57BL/6J mice. Phytomedicine, 137, 156281. [Cited by 2]
Senolytic treatment (dasatinib and quercetin) delayed age-related hearing loss in mice by preserving cochlear sensory hair cells.

Shen, S., et al. (2025). The effect of cellular senescence on hearing loss. Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, 2025, 9610014.
Accumulation of senescent cells in inner ear tissue and relationship between cellular senescence and hearing loss.

Rivas-Chacón, L. del Mar, et al. (2021). Role of oxidative stress in the senescence pattern of auditory cells in age-related hearing loss. Antioxidants, 10(9), 1497. [Cited by 31]
Oxidative stress can induce premature senescence in auditory cells, leading to age-related hearing loss.

Fischer, N., Johnson Chacko, L., Glueckert, R., et al. (2020). Age-dependent changes in the cochlea. Gerontology, 66(1), 33-39. [Cited by 46]
Senescence of immune system plays important role in age-related degeneration of inner ear.

Suzuki, Y., et al. (2024). Premature senescence is regulated by crosstalk among oxidative stress, DNA damage, and inflammation in the cochlea. Cell Death Discovery, 10, 139. [Cited by 6]
Oxidative stress-induced DNA damage responses drive cochlear cell senescence.

Zhang, A., et al. (2024). Excessive processing and acetylation of OPA1 aggravate age-related hearing loss. Aging Cell, 23(2), e14091. [Cited by 16]
OPA1-mediated excessive mitochondrial fission in age-related hearing loss.

Xia, M., et al. (2025). Single-nucleus profiling of mouse inner ear aging uncovers complex mechanisms underlying hair cell degeneration. Cell Reports, 44(5), 114289. [Cited by 3]
Complex, multifactorial mechanisms underlying inner ear aging and potential targets for preventing hair cell degeneration.

Saitoh, Y., et al. (1995). Age-related cochlear degeneration in senescence-accelerated mouse. Neurobiology of Aging, 16(1), 129-136. [Cited by 44]
Age-related hair cell loss and stria vascularis atrophy.

Tinnitus, Aging, and Hearing Loss Connections
Aging is a primary risk factor for both hearing loss and tinnitus. The neurobiological changes that occur with age, including the accumulation of senescent cells and associated inflammation, are thought to create a vulnerable state for the development of tinnitus, especially in the presence of hearing loss. Research is ongoing to understand the complex interplay between these factors.

Wang, K., et al. (2020). Auditory neural plasticity in tinnitus mechanisms and therapy. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 14, 185. [Cited by 34]
Tinnitus often occurs with hearing loss from noise and aging. Cochlear deafferentation as trigger.

Svobodová, V., Profant, O., Škoch, A., et al. (2024). The effect of aging, hearing loss, and tinnitus on white matter in the human auditory system revealed with fixel-based analysis. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 15, 1283660. [Cited by 8]
Tinnitus strengthens connections between auditory and limbic systems.

Profant, O., et al. (2020). The influence of aging, hearing, and tinnitus on the morphology of cortical gray matter, amygdala, and hippocampus. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 12, 553461. [Cited by 39]
Age-related hearing loss and tinnitus affect brain structure.

Liu, J., et al. (2022). Age-related activation of cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes signaling in the inner ear. Neuroscience, 481, 86-97. [Cited by 10]
Mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammatory responses during aging.

Wu, P., et al. (2020). Age-related hearing loss is dominated by damage to inner ear sensory cells, not the cellular battery that powers them. Journal of Neuroscience, 40(33), 6357-6366. [Cited by 266]
Inner-ear sensory cell loss explains audiometric patterns in aging.

Oosterloo, B. C., et al. (2020). Prevalence of tinnitus in an aging population and its relation to age and hearing loss. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 164(4), 859-868. [Cited by 100]
Tinnitus was found to be prevalent in 21.4% of an aging population study.

Vasilkov, V., et al. (2023). Evidence of cochlear neural degeneration in normal-hearing subjects with tinnitus. Scientific Reports, 13, 19870. [Cited by 43]
Permanent damage to cochlear nerve after acoustic overexposure and during aging.

Reisinger, L., et al. (2023). Ageing as risk factor for tinnitus and its complex interplay with hearing loss: Analysis of NHANES data 2011-2012. BMC Medicine, 21, 331. [Cited by 44]
Analysis of NHANES data indicated that aging increases vulnerability to tinnitus when hearing loss is present.

Terao, K., et al. (2011). Cochlear changes in presbycusis with tinnitus. American Journal of Otolaryngology, 32(3), 215-220. [Cited by 36]
Acoustic trauma and aging associated with impaired cochlear function and tinnitus.

Vijayakumar, K. A., & Cho, G. W. (2022). A review on peripheral tinnitus, causes, and treatments from the perspective of autophagy. Experimental Neurobiology, 31(4), 223-235. [Cited by 13]
Etiology of tinnitus involves aging, hearing loss, and environmental distress.

Lai, H., et al. (2024). Association of oxidative balance score with hearing loss and tinnitus. Frontiers in Nutrition, 11, 1421605. [Cited by 8]
Oxidative balance score negatively correlated with risk of hearing loss and tinnitus.

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