The purpose of this study is to determine whether trans Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is effective in the treatment of auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia.
The project will investigate the use of a novel technique, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in the treatment of patients with schizophrenia. tDCS permit the application of an extremely weak continuous electrical current to the brain through an anode and a cathode applied on the scalp. Anodal stimulation appears to increase brain activity whereas cathodal stimulation has the opposite effect. Using anodal \& cathodal tDCS the investigators aimed to treat auditory hallucinations, a symptoms of schizophrenia. The investigators plan to apply tDCS such that it can simultaneously increased activity in the frontal brain areas and reduce activity over temporoparietal cortex, 2 areas involved in the physiopathology of the disease. Real active stimulation will be compare to a sham condition in 60 patients (30 in each group). 30 patients will be included in a French center (Hospital le Vinatier, sponsor of the study) and 30 in Tunisia (laboratory "vulnerability to psychosis" (Pr Gaha) à Monastir).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
46
Intensity 2 mA during 20 minutes, 2 times per day
sham condition as delivered by the stimulator
Hopital Le vinatier
Bron, France
Laboratoire de Recherche " Vulnérabilité Aux Psychoses "
Monastir, Tunisia
Auditory hallucinations measured by Auditory Hallucination Rating Scale (Hoffman et al., 2003)
Time frame: before, after 1 week of treatment and 2 times follow up (1 & 3 months)
Neurochemical impact of treatment measured by 1H-MRS (proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy), DTI (Diffusion Tensor Imaging) and resting MRI
Time frame: 3 times: before treatment, immediately after treatment and a last evaluation 1 month after
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