Objective: To understand the personal experience of schizophrenia patients following repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and its connection with changes in mental symptoms, thereby enhancing the overall understanding of TMS. Method: The investigators selected eligible schizophrenia patients for fixed-parameter rTMS treatment. A self-experience checklist post-TMS treatment and positive and negative symptom scales (PANSS) were applied to evaluate the treatment.
The investigators recruited male subjects admitted to who met the criteria. They were divided into a control and a treatment group. A double-blind approach was adopted. The subjects were unaware of whether real/pseudo stimulation was applied, and the evaluators did not know the grouping specifics. All of the enrolled cases were tested for stimulation thresholds in the bilateral prefrontal cortex. The TMS treatment device was a Magstim RAPID2 neuromagnetic stimulator (Magstim) with an "8"-type coil. The study group was administered real stimulation. The treatment parameters were as follows: frequency range, 20 Hz; 90% motion threshold; 3 s of stimulation; a 57 s interval; 15 min of stimulation for each side, five times per week for a total of 20 times. For the control group, a 60% motion threshold was set; the remaining parameters were consistent with the study group but with no stimulating energy output. The therapeutic instrument model, appearance, operation process, and sounds when effecting treatment were the same for both groups. A self-experience checklist post-TMS treatment and positive and negative symptom scales (PANSS) were applied to evaluate the treatment.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
33
frequency range, 20 Hz; 90% motion threshold; 3 s of stimulation; a 57 s interval; 15 min of stimulation for each side, five times per week for a total of 20 times
frequency range, 20 Hz，60% motion threshold; 3 s of stimulation; a 57 s interval; 15 min of stimulation for each side, five times per week for a total of 20 times. But with no stimulating energy output.
Rongjun Hospital of Hebei Province Affiliated to North China University of Science and Technology
Baoding, Hebei, China
Self-experience checklist post- transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment
Self-experience checklist post- transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment: In the present study, "self-experience" refers to an evaluation of the changes in a patient's self-perception before and after TMS treatment.
Time frame: Half an hour
positive and negative symptom scales (PANSS)
It included 30 entries, among which seven were positive, seven were negative, and the remaining 16 entries were general psychopathology scales for assessing the overall severity of schizophrenia using a 7-level score.
Time frame: Half an hour
The repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status
The RBANS scale included 12 test items that were summarized into five sets of neuromental states (five factors), i.e., immediate memory (vocabulary learning and story review), visuospatial structure (graphic depiction and line positioning), language (picture-naming and semantic fluency), attention (digital breadth and symbolic numbers), and delayed memory (vocabulary recall, vocabulary ecognition, story recall, and graphic recall).
Time frame: Half an hour
The Insight and Treatment Attitudes Questionnaire (ITAQ)
it includes the subject's understanding of the disease and their attitude towards treatment. A higher score indicated that a patient had better self-knowledge.
Time frame: Half an hour
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