{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,18]],"date-time":"2026-06-18T01:51:52Z","timestamp":1781747512150,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]],"date-time":"2026-06-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781654400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002848","name":"ANID","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["21221087"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["21221087"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002848","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Fundacion Guillermo Puelma"},{"name":"AC3E","award":["CIA250006"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CIA250006"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002848","name":"ANID","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["21221087"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["21221087"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002848","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Brain Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Tinnitus is a prevalent auditory disorder associated with maladaptive cortical plasticity and aberrant neural synchronization across auditory and non-auditory brain networks. Acoustic desynchronization-based sound therapies, such as coordinated reset neuromodulation, aim to counteract pathological oscillatory patterns but commonly require prolonged daily listening sessions and specialized delivery formats, which may limit their accessibility and practicality in routine clinical settings. To address this limitation, a modified desynchronization protocol embedding therapeutic tones within music was developed to improve tolerability and engagement. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical effects of modified Music-Integrated Desynchronization Sound Therapy (mMIDST) on tinnitus severity in patients with chronic tinnitus. Methods: In this prospective, randomized, controlled, single-blind pilot trial conducted at the Otolaryngology Department of Hospital Cl\u00ednico Universidad de Chile (Santiago, Chile) between July 2024 and July 2025, adults aged 18\u201375 years with chronic non-pulsatile tinnitus were assigned to receive either mMIDST or an active control intervention consisting of low-frequency stimulation (LFS) embedded within identical music tracks. Participants listened to personalized sound files for one hour daily, five days per week. Tinnitus severity was assessed using the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), with audiometric evaluations performed at baseline and after one, two, and three months. Between-group differences were analyzed using the Mann\u2013Whitney U test. Results: Twenty-five participants completed the study (15 mMIDST, 10 LFS). Baseline audiometric thresholds and THI scores were comparable between groups. The mMIDST group showed significantly greater reductions in THI scores than the LFS group at two and three months of treatment (p &lt; 0.05). Conclusions: mMIDST was associated with time-dependent improvements in tinnitus-related distress compared with an active control condition. Embedding desynchronization-based tonal stimulation within music may represent a promising and well-tolerated non-invasive approach for chronic tinnitus management.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/brainsci16060644","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,18]],"date-time":"2026-06-18T00:49:42Z","timestamp":1781743782000},"page":"644","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Personalized Music-Embedded Sound Therapy Based on Gating Modulation and Neural Decoupling Reduces Tinnitus Severity"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Pablo I.","family":"Henriquez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Cl\u00ednico Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380456, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Paul H.","family":"Delano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Cl\u00ednico Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380456, Chile"},{"name":"Department of Neurosciences, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380453, Chile"},{"name":"Biomedical Neurosciences Institute (BNI), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380453, Chile"},{"name":"Advanced Center for Electronical Engineer (AC3E), Valpara\u00edso 2340000, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Javiera","family":"Herrada","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Cl\u00ednico Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380456, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Claudia","family":"Guevara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosciences, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380453, Chile"},{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology, Facultad de Medicina Cl\u00ednica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago 7610658, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3278-065X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hayo A.","family":"Breinbauer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosciences, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380453, Chile"},{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology, Facultad de Medicina Cl\u00ednica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago 7610658, Chile"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.1017\/S1755146300090041","article-title":"Epidemiology of tinnitus","volume":"98","author":"Coles","year":"1984","journal-title":"J. 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