Targeted TMS May Stop ‘Voices’ in Schizophrenia
Using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on a particular part of the brain eased auditory hallucinations in a third of patients with schizophrenia, according to a study presented last week at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology conference in Paris.
“Auditory verbal hallucinations, or ‘hearing voices,’ can be a disturbing symptom of schizophrenia, both for patients and for those close to sufferers. This is the first controlled trial to show an improvement in these patients by targeting a specific area of the brain and using high frequency TMS,” said lead researcher Sonia Dollfus, MD, PhD, University of Caen, France.
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Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to target TMS on an area in the temporal lobe associated with language: the crossing of the projection of the ascending branch of the left lateral sulcus and the left superior temporal sulcus. The study involved 26 patients who received active TMS treatment and 33 patients who received sham treatment. The TMS group received a series of 20-Hz high-frequency magnetic pulses for 2 sessions a day over 2 days.
During reevaluation 2 weeks later, 34.6% of the patients who received TMS showed a response, defined as a more than 30% drop in their total Auditory Verbal Hallucination score, researchers reported. Only 9.1% of patients who received sham treatment showed a similar response.
“This means 2 things,” Dr. Dollfus said. “Firstly, it seems that we now can say with some certainty that we have found a specific anatomical area of the brain associated with auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia.
“Secondly, we have shown that treatment with high-frequency TMS makes a difference to at least some sufferers, although there is a long way to go before we will know if TMS is the best route to treat these patients in the long-term.”
—Jolynn Tumolo
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