Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) Treatment for Schizophrenia Patients With Auditory Hallucinations
Condition: Schizophrenia; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
MeSH terms: Hallucinations; Schizophrenia
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      To investigate the treatment effect of continuous transcranial magnetic stimulation on
      schizophrenia patients with auditory hallucinations, and the underlying neural mechanism by
      functional MRI
    

Detailed description: 
      All patients underwent a medical evaluation that included physical examination and routine
      laboratory studies before and after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)
      treatment. Patients were randomly allocated to rTMS group and the sham group by random
      number. There are about 30 patients in each group.The decision to enroll a patient was always
      made prior to randomization. Patients were studied using a double-blind design. Study
      participants, clinical raters, and all personnel responsible for the clinical care of the
      patient remained masked to allocated condition and allocation parameters. Only rTMS
      administrators had access to the randomization list; they had minimal contact with the
      patients, and no role in assessing AVH and other measures. Each patient would be treated for
      continuous 15 days by rTMS

      Before the rTMS treatment, the Auditory Hallucination Rating Scale, Psychotic Symptom Rating
      Scale, and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale were obtained by a trained investigator
      to assess baseline severity of auditory verbal hallucination (AVH) and other symptoms. The
      patients had receiving a battery measure of neuropsychological tests (standardized tests to
      investigate their cognitive problems, anxiety and depressive symptoms in daily life),
      magnetic resonance imaging scan in multimodalities, electroencephalography (EEG),
      event-related potentials during stop signal test and Iowa-gambling test record.

      After the last treatment, the Auditory Hallucination Rating Scale, Psychotic Symptom Rating
      Scale, and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale were obtained, as well as the Global
      Index of Safety to assess adverse events of the treatment. Patients were instructed to focus
      their answers on the past 15 days. The patients had also receiving a battery measure of
      neuropsychological tests, magnetic resonance imaging scan in multimodalities, and EEG record.

      A month after the last treatment, participants were interviewed to obtain the Auditory
      Hallucination Rating Scale, Psychotic Symptom Rating Scale, the Positive, and Negative
      Syndrome Scale. They were instructed to focus their answers on the past week. Additionally,
      they were also asked to assess the battery of neuropsychological tests, and have magnetic
      resonance imaging scan in multimodalities, and EEG record. Afterwards, they were unblinded by
      the study coordinator.
    

Intervention name(s): transcranial magnetic stimulation
Intervention type(s): Device
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: schizophrenia; auditory hallucinations; functional magnetic resonance imaging; transcranial magnetic stimulation