Treatment of Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia by rTMS

Launched by CENTRE HOSPITALIER DE VILLE-EVRARD, FRANCE · Sep 12, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying a treatment called repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) to see if it can help improve the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, such as lack of motivation or social withdrawal. The trial will test four different rTMS treatment plans to find out which works best for patients. Each treatment will last between 2 to 4 weeks, and researchers will follow up with participants for 3 months after treatment to monitor any changes or relapses in symptoms.

To participate, individuals must be over 18 years old, have a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and have been stable on their medications for at least four weeks. They should also be experiencing ongoing negative symptoms. It’s important that participants can speak French and have signed consent to join the study. However, individuals with certain medical conditions, such as an unstable medical condition or specific medical devices, cannot participate. Overall, this trial aims to find effective ways to help those struggling with the negative aspects of schizophrenia.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Patient over 18 years of age
• • Patient diagnosed with schizophrenia according to the DSM-V criteria (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder V5, 2013)
• • Stable drug treatment for at least 4 weeks
• * Presence or persistence of negative symptoms in the foreground:
• • Negative PANSS score ⩾21, positive PANSS score ⩽24
• • Patient (or legal representative) willing to participate in the study and having signed an informed consent
• • Patient fluent in the French language
• • Affiliation to a social security scheme
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Present a contraindication to TMS: intracranial foreign body, unstabilized epilepsy, cochlear implant, pace-maker
• • Presence of an unstabilized medical condition
• • Pregnant woman
• • Woman of childbearing potential and without effective contraception
• • Breastfeeding woman