None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
People with schizophrenia can experience difficulties with attention, concentration and memory; these are referred to as cognitive symptoms. There are currently no effective treatments for these symptoms. We are investigating whether non-invasive brain stimulation, specifically transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), is able to improve cognition in individuals with schizophrenia.
Interventions
Participants will undergo repeated sessions (5 in total) of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS). tDCS involves the application of a very gentle electrical current applied using two surface electrodes (anode and cathode) to the scalp . tDCS has been shown to increase brain activity in areas important for cognition.
Participants will be randomly allocated to one of the following three conditions;
1. Five sessions of 20 minute active tDCS to the left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPF
Participants will undergo repeated sessions (5 in total) of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS). tDCS involves the application of a very gentle electrical current applied using two surface electrodes (anode and cathode) to the scalp . tDCS has been shown to increase brain activity in areas important for cognition. Participants will be randomly allocated to one of the following three conditions; 1. Five sessions of 20 minute active tDCS to the left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC) at a current density of 0.0057 ma/cm within a single week on consecutive days. 2. Five sessions of 20 minute active itDCS to the left DLPFC at a current density of 0.0057 ma/cm within a single week on consecutive days. 3. Five sessions of 20 minute sham tDCS to the left DLPFC at a current density of 0.0057 ma/cm within a single week on consecutive days.
Sponsors
Dr Kate Hoy
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Subject, Caregiver, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
- competent to consent based on their ability to provide a spontaneous narrative description of the key elements of the study, as assessed by a clinical staff member independent of the research project - have a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder as confirmed by the MINI - are between the ages of 18 and 60 - have been on a stable dose of medication for at least 4 weeks
Exclusion criteria
- have a DSM-IV history of substance abuse or dependence in the last 6 months - have a concomitant major and unstable medical or neurological illness - are pregnant - are currently taking any medication shown to interfere with the effects of tDCS; namely benzodiazepines or tegretol.
Outcome results
None listed