Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-08T12:25:13.312Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A sham-controlled trial of left and right temporal rTMS for the treatment of auditory hallucinations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 August 2009

C. K. Loo ,
K. Sainsbury ,
P. Mitchell ,
D. Hadzi-Pavlovic  and
P. S. Sachdev
C. K. Loo*
Affiliation:
School of Psychiatry, University of NSW and Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia
K. Sainsbury
Affiliation:
School of Psychiatry, University of NSW and Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia
P. Mitchell
Affiliation:
School of Psychiatry, University of NSW and Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia
D. Hadzi-Pavlovic
Affiliation:
School of Psychiatry, University of NSW and Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia
P. S. Sachdev
Affiliation:
School of Psychiatry, University of NSW and Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr C. K. Loo, Black Dog Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hospital Road, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia. (Email: [email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

Several studies have reported reduction of auditory hallucinations (AH) after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to the left temporal cortex. This study explored the effects of rTMS to the left and right temporal cortex.

Method

Eighteen subjects with schizophrenia and frequent AH were enrolled in a double-blind, cross-over trial of 3 days of active rTMS to the left or right temporal cortex, or sham rTMS to the vertex (control condition), followed by an open treatment phase. The effects on AH were assessed by a blinded rater, using the Auditory Hallucination Rating Scale (AHRS).

Results

During the double-blind phase, active temporal rTMS did not result in significantly greater improvement in hallucination scores than sham rTMS to the vertex, apart from a reduction in distress scores. Hallucination scores improved during the open continued treatment phase.

Conclusions

This study did not demonstrate an advantage for left temporal rTMS compared to right temporal and sham stimulation, over a 3-day stimulation period, but found modest improvement in hallucinations during continued open label treatment.

Keywords

Auditory hallucinationsschizophreniatranscranial magnetic stimulationtreatment
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 40 , Issue 4 , April 2010 , pp. 541 - 546
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aleman, A, Sommer, IE, Kahn, RS (2007). Efficacy of slow repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of resistant auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia: a meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 68, 416–421.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barker, AT (1991). An introduction to the basic principles of magnetic nerve stimulation. Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology 8, 26–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chibbaro, G, Daniele, M, Alagona, G, Di Pasquale, C, Cannavo, M, Rapisarda, V, Bella, R, Pennisi, G (2005). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in schizophrenic patients reporting auditory hallucinations. Neuroscience Letters 83, 54–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dolfus, S, Larmurier-Montagne, A, Razafimandimby, A, Delcroiz, N, Allio, G, Membrey, J, Etard, O (2008). Treatment of auditory hallucinations by combining high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and functional magnetic resonance imaging. Schizophrenia Research 102, 348–351.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fitzgerald, PB, Benitez, J, Daskalakis, JZ, Brown, TL, Marston, NAU, de Castella, A, Kulkarni, J (2005). A double-blind sham-controlled trial of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of refractory auditory hallucinations. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology 25, 358–362.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hoffman, RE, Boutros, NN, Hu, S, Berman, RM, Krystal, JH, Charney, DS (2000). Transcranial magnetic stimulation and auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia. Lancet 355, 1073–1075.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hoffman, RE, Gueorguieva, R, Hawkins, KA, Varanko, M, Boutros, NN, Wu, Y, Carroll, K, Krystal, JH (2005). Temporoparietal transcranial magnetic stimulation for auditory hallucinations: safety, efficacy and moderators in a fifty patient sample. Biological Psychiatry 58, 97–104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoffman, RE, Hampson, M, Wu, K, Anderson, A, Gore, J, Buchanan, R, Constable, R, Hawkins, K, Sahay, N, Krystal, JH (2007). Probing the pathophysiology of auditory verbal hallucinations by combining functional magnetic resonance imaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation. Cerebral Cortex 17, 2733–2743.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hoffman, RE, Keith, MD, Hawking, A, Gueorguieva, R, Boutros, NN, Rachid, F, Carroll, K, Krystal, JH (2003). Transcranial magnetic stimulation of left temporoparietal cortex and medication-resistant auditory hallucinations. Archives of General Psychiatry 60, 49–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jandl, M, Steyer, J, Weber, M, Linden, DEJ, Rothmeier, J, Maurer, K, Kaschka, WP (2006). Treating auditory hallucinations by transcranial magnetic stimulation: a randomized controlled cross-over trial. Neuropsychobiology 53, 63–69.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jorge, RE, Moser, DJ, Acion, L, Robinson, RG (2008). Treatment of vascular depression using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. Archives of General Psychiatry 65, 268–276.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lee, SH, Kim, W, Chung, YC, Jung, KH, Bahk, WM, Jun, TY, Kim, KS, George, MS, Chae, JH (2005). A double blind study showing that two weeks of daily repetitive TMS over the left and right temporoparietal cortex reduces symptoms in patients with schizophrenia who are having treatment-refractory auditory hallucinations. Neuroscience Letters 376, 177–181.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Loo, CK, Mitchell, PB (2005). A review of the efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatment for depression, and current and future strategies to optimize efficacy. Journal of Affective Disorders 88, 255–267.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Loo, CK, Mitchell, PB, McFarquhar, T, Malhi, GS, Sachdev, PS (2007). A sham-controlled trial of the efficacy and safety of twice-daily rTMS in major depression. Psychological Medicine 37, 341–349.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Loo, CK, Taylor, JL, Gandevia, SC, McDarmont, BN, Mitchell, PB, Sachdev, PS (2000). Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in controlled treatment studies: are some ‘sham’ forms active? Biological Psychiatry 47, 325–331.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Montgomery, S, Asberg, M (1979). A new depression scale designed to be sensitive to change. British Journal of Psychiatry 134, 382–389.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Poulet, E, Brunelin, J, Bediou, B, Bation, R, Forgeard, L, Dalery, J, d'Amato, T, Saoud, M (2005). Slow transcranial magnetic stimulation can rapidly reduce resistant auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia. Biological Psychiatry 56, 188–191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shergill, SS, Brammer, MJ, Williams, SCR, Murray, RM, McGuire, PK (2000). Mapping auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Archives General Psychiatry 57, 1033–1038.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sommer, IEC, de Weijer, AD, Daalman, K, Neggers, SF, Somers, M, Kahn, RS (2007). Can fMRI-guidance improve the efficacy of rTMS treatment for auditory verbal hallucinations? Schizophrenia Research 93, 406–408.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stanford, AD, Sharif, Z, Corcoran, C, Urban, N, Malaspina, D, Lisanby, SH (2008). rTMS strategies for the study and treatment of schizophrenia: a review. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology 11, 563–576.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, JL, Loo, CK (2007). Stimulus waveform influences the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. Journal of Affective Disorders 97, 271–276.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tranulis, C, Sepehry, AA, Galinowski, A, Stip, E (2008). Should we treat auditory hallucinations with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation? A metaanalysis. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 53, 577–586.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed