Magnetic Stimulation as a Treatment for Auditory Hallucinations in Schizophrenia

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Used to Treat Auditory Hallucinations in Schizophrenia

Status

UNKNOWN

Phases

Phase 4

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00186771

Enrollment

Registered

2005-09-16

Start date

2004-11-30

Completion date

2015-01-31

Last updated

2011-07-28

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

Conditions

Schizophrenia

Keywords

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Paired Pulse

Brief summary

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disease. Auditory hallucinations are the most frequent symptoms with an incident of 50% to 70% in patients. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) can significantly reduce symptoms of schizophrenia. TMS is capable of inducing changes in the electrical activities of the brain in humans. The purpose of this trial is to study the use of TMS to decrease auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia.

Detailed description

We hypothesize that: True treatment with rTMS will have significant decrease in auditory hallucinations versus sham treatment over the temporoparietal cortex. FMRI will highlight areas of activation with auditory hallucinations distinct from the area identified by Hoffman's scalp based method. Cortical inhibition as measured by paired pulse TMS will be increased after true TMS but not sham TMS.

Interventions

DEVICEPaired Pulse

True treatment with rTMS over the temporoparietal cortex.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 65 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Schizophrenia * Auditory hallucinations occuring more than 5 times per day * Adequate (6 weeks) trial of antipsychotic medication * Including at least 1 atypical antipsychotic medication * Medication stable for 4 weeks prior to commencement of the study * Competent to consent

Exclusion criteria

* history of seizure disorder in patient or first degree relative * recent head injury * Acute suicidality * Alcohol or substance abuse * Implanted pacemaker or metal in head or neck * Pregnancy

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Hoffman Auditory Hallucination Scale	weekly	A series of 7 questions to identify the intensity and severity of the hallucinations

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia (PANSS)	2 weeks

Countries

Canada

Contacts

Primary ContactRose Marie Mueller, RN

rmueller@stjoes.ca905-522-1155

Backup ContactSandra Chalmers, RN

schalmer@stjoes.ca905-522-1155

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026