Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) As A Treatment For Cigarette Craving and Cognitive Deficits in Schizophrenic

Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research33 enrolled

Overview

This is a study of the effects of tDCS on smoking, craving for cigarettes, cognition, and psychiatric symptoms in schizophrenic patients who are current smokers or have a history of regular cigarette smoking. It assesses smoking with CO monitoring, nicotine and nicotine levels, and craving with QSU scale and response to craving slides. Cognition is measured by MCCB, symptoms are measured by PANSS and hallucination scale. This is a double-blind sham-controlled study with active tDCS 2ma or 20 minutes over 5 days, and sham tDCS for 40 seconds on each sham occasion.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Schizophrenia Cognition Cigarette Smoking

Interventions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 60 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorder History of cigarette smoking Exclusion Criteria: * Seizure disorder or current treated neurological illness Current Acute exacerbation of psychotic state

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change From Baseline in Cigarette Craving

The Brief Questionnaire on Smoking Urges (QSU-Brief) was used to measure cigarette cravings. Scores ranged from a minimum of 1 ("Strongly Disagree") to a maximum of 7 ("Strongly Agree") and were determined by self-reported responses to 10 statements about having cravings for smoking. Scores closer to 1 after treatment would indicate a better outcome. Responses to each of the 10 items in the scale were summed for one total score. With 10 items on this scale with a range of scores from 1 to 7, on each occasion of rating the minimum score would be 7 and the maximum score would be 70.

Time frame: Baseline and after 5 tDCs sessions (mean time 8.7[SD 2.7] days after basleine)

Secondary Outcomes

Change From Baseline in Cognitive Performance

The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) was used to measure cognitive performance. Seven Domain scores and a Composite score are calculated by the proprietary MCCB Computer Scoring Program from raw scores on 10 individually administered subtests. We used the revised MCCB program (beta version) which allows for calculation of Domain and Composite scores with missing data. The Domain T-scores are percentile-ranked and range from \<20 (\<0.1 percentile) to \>80 (\>99.9 percentile). The Composite scores are also percentile-ranked and range from \<213 (T\<20, \<0.1 percentile) to \>487 (T\>80, \>99.9 percentile). Higher scores after baseline represent better outcomes. Here we report difference scores from post-treatment and baseline with positive difference scores representing better outcomes.

Time frame: Baseline and 1-3 days (mean 1.8 [SD 1.4] days after 5 tDCS sessions( mean 8.7 days after baseline)