A prospective pilot study to evaluate the influence of accelerated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on auditory hallucinations, considering individual cognitive and executive functions, as well as neurotrophic factors.

A prospective pilot study to evaluate the influence of accelerated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on auditory hallucinations, considering individual cognitive and executive functions, as well as neurotrophic factors. - Prospective study to evaluate the influence of accelerated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on the presence of auditory hallucinations

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Phase 2

Study type

Interventional

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00038460

Enrollment

100

Registered

2026-01-09

Start date

2026-02-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-01-12

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

F20

Interventions

Group 1: • This is a single-center, prospective clinical study. • Description of the study procedure: Admission visit, start of the study (after inpatient admission): - Verbal and written inf

a total of 3 sessions per day (Monday-Friday) over 1 week (i.e., a total of 15 individual sessions per week) Visit 2 (8th day after the 1st rTMS session) - 2. Blood sampling for BDNF and SOD deter

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to 65 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder according to DSM-V and persistent auditory hallucinations 2. Written consent to participate in the study 3. The participant is able to understand the study procedures and information (capacity to consent)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Presence of acute suicidal tendencies or acute danger to others 2. Positive drug screening for illegal drugs upon admission (permitted upon admission to inpatient treatment) 3. Presence of a relevant internal medical or neurological condition that could result in cognitive changes 4. Limited or complete inability to give consent 5. The following exclusion criteria apply to rTMS: - Diagnosis of genuine epilepsy or other confounding severe or unstable physical illness, dementia or cognitive impairment, and history of traumatic brain injury - Existing pregnancy and breastfeeding - Presence of electromagnetic-sensitive or metal-containing medical devices in or permanently connected to the body (e.g., pacemakers, drug pumps, cochlear implants) - Previous heart and/or brain surgery - Previous treatment with TMS within the last 2 years

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Primary endpoints: (1) Biological parameters: BDNF and SOD in peripheral venous blood, DOPAC and HVA in 24-hour urine collection (2) Cognitive/executive functioning (3) Distress caused by the presence of auditory hallucinations (PSYRATS-AH)	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Secondary endpoints: (4) Laboratory chemistry (complete blood count) (5) The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) (6) The Beck Depression Inventory Revision (BDI-II) (7) The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) (8) The Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI) (9) The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) (10) Psychopathology questionnaires: Culture Fair Intelligence Test (CFT-20R) ;	—

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactJana Hovancakova

Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychotherapie und Psychosomatik

jhovancakova@ukaachen.de+49241800

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026