J P Lindenmayer1, Mila Kirstie C Kulsa2, Tania Sultana3, Amandeep Kaur4, Ran Yang5, Isidora Ljuri6, Benedicto Parker7, Anzalee Khan8. 1. Manhattan Psychiatric Center, 600 East 125th Street Wards Island, New York, NY, 10035, USA; Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA; New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA. Electronic address: jean-pierre.lindenmayer@nki.rfmh.org. 2. Manhattan Psychiatric Center, 600 East 125th Street Wards Island, New York, NY, 10035, USA; Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA; Teachers College Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY, 10027, USA. Electronic address: mck2177@tc.columbia.edu. 3. Manhattan Psychiatric Center, 600 East 125th Street Wards Island, New York, NY, 10035, USA; Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA. Electronic address: tania.sultana@omh.ny.gov. 4. Manhattan Psychiatric Center, 600 East 125th Street Wards Island, New York, NY, 10035, USA; Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA. Electronic address: amandeep.kaur@omh.ny.gov. 5. Manhattan Psychiatric Center, 600 East 125th Street Wards Island, New York, NY, 10035, USA; Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA; Teachers College Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY, 10027, USA. Electronic address: ran.yang@omh.ny.gov. 6. Manhattan Psychiatric Center, 600 East 125th Street Wards Island, New York, NY, 10035, USA; Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA. Electronic address: isidora.ljuri@omh.ny.gov. 7. Manhattan Psychiatric Center, 600 East 125th Street Wards Island, New York, NY, 10035, USA; Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA. Electronic address: benedicto.parker@nki.rfmh.org. 8. Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA; NeuroCog Trials, 3211 Shannon Road #300, Durham, NC, 27707, USA. Electronic address: anzalee.khan@nki.rfmh.org.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive neurostimulation treatment, has been reported in a number of sham-controlled studies to show significant improvements in treatment-resistant auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia patients, primarily in ambulatory and higher-functioning patients, but little is known of the effects of tDCS on hospitalized, low-functioning inpatients. OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy and safety of tDCS for auditory hallucinations in hospitalized ultra-treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) and to evaluate the effects of tDCS on cognitive functions. We hypothesized that treatment non-response reported in previous tDCS studies may have been due to the insufficient duration of direct-current stimulation. METHODS:Inpatient participants with DSM-V schizophrenia, long-standing treatment-resistance, and auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) participated in this 4-week sham-controlled, randomized trial. Assessments included the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) at baseline and endpoint (at the end of Week 4), and the Auditory Hallucinations Rating Scale (AHRS) administered at baseline, endpoint, and weekly throughout the study. Participants were randomized to receive active vs. shamtDCS treatments twice daily for 4 weeks. RESULTS:Twenty-eight participants were enrolled (tDCS, n = 15; control, n = 13) and 21 participants completed all 4 weeks of the trial. Results showed a significant reduction for the auditory hallucination total score (p ≤ 0.05). We found a 21.9% decrease in AHRS Total Score for the tDCS group and a 12.6% decrease in AHRS Total Score for the control group. Significant reductions in frequency, number of voices over time, length of auditory hallucinations, and overall psychopathology were also observed for the tDCS group. When assessing cognitive functioning, only Working Memory showed improvement for the tDCS group. CONCLUSION: Although there was only a small improvement noted in auditory hallucination scores for the tDCS group, this improvement was meaningful when compared to no standard treatment of the control group. While this makes the interpretation of clinical significance debatable, it does confirm that tDCS combined with pharmacological intervention can provide clinical gains over pharmacological intervention alone. Therefore, tDCS treatment appears to be effective not only for ambulatory, higher-functioning patients, but also for patients with ultra-treatment-resistant schizophrenia.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive neurostimulation treatment, has been reported in a number of sham-controlled studies to show significant improvements in treatment-resistant auditory hallucinations in schizophreniapatients, primarily in ambulatory and higher-functioning patients, but little is known of the effects of tDCS on hospitalized, low-functioning inpatients. OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy and safety of tDCS for auditory hallucinations in hospitalized ultra-treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) and to evaluate the effects of tDCS on cognitive functions. We hypothesized that treatment non-response reported in previous tDCS studies may have been due to the insufficient duration of direct-current stimulation. METHODS: Inpatient participants with DSM-V schizophrenia, long-standing treatment-resistance, and auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) participated in this 4-week sham-controlled, randomized trial. Assessments included the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) at baseline and endpoint (at the end of Week 4), and the Auditory Hallucinations Rating Scale (AHRS) administered at baseline, endpoint, and weekly throughout the study. Participants were randomized to receive active vs. sham tDCS treatments twice daily for 4 weeks. RESULTS: Twenty-eight participants were enrolled (tDCS, n = 15; control, n = 13) and 21 participants completed all 4 weeks of the trial. Results showed a significant reduction for the auditory hallucination total score (p ≤ 0.05). We found a 21.9% decrease in AHRS Total Score for the tDCS group and a 12.6% decrease in AHRS Total Score for the control group. Significant reductions in frequency, number of voices over time, length of auditory hallucinations, and overall psychopathology were also observed for the tDCS group. When assessing cognitive functioning, only Working Memory showed improvement for the tDCS group. CONCLUSION: Although there was only a small improvement noted in auditory hallucination scores for the tDCS group, this improvement was meaningful when compared to no standard treatment of the control group. While this makes the interpretation of clinical significance debatable, it does confirm that tDCS combined with pharmacological intervention can provide clinical gains over pharmacological intervention alone. Therefore, tDCS treatment appears to be effective not only for ambulatory, higher-functioning patients, but also for patients with ultra-treatment-resistant schizophrenia.
Authors: Leandro da Costa Lane Valiengo; Stephan Goerigk; Pedro Caldana Gordon; Frank Padberg; Mauricio Henriques Serpa; Stephanie Koebe; Leonardo Afonso Dos Santos; Roger Alberto Marcos Lovera; Juliana Barbosa de Carvalho; Martinus van de Bilt; Acioly L T Lacerda; Helio Elkis; Wagner Farid Gattaz; Andre R Brunoni Journal: JAMA Psychiatry Date: 2020-02-01 Impact factor: 21.596
Authors: Marieke J Begemann; Bodyl A Brand; Branislava Ćurčić-Blake; André Aleman; Iris E Sommer Journal: Psychol Med Date: 2020-10-19 Impact factor: 7.723
Authors: Jerome Brunelin; Marine Mondino; Julie Haesebaert; Jerome Attal; Michel Benoit; Marie Chupin; Sonia Dollfus; Wissam El-Hage; Filipe Galvao; Renaud Jardri; Pierre Michel Llorca; Laurent Magaud; Marion Plaze; Anne Marie Schott-Pethelaz; Marie-Françoise Suaud-Chagny; David Szekely; Eric Fakra; Emmanuel Poulet Journal: Trials Date: 2021-12-28 Impact factor: 2.279