High-definition transcranial direct current simulation (HD-tDCS) for persistent auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia

• Published in: Asian journal of psychiatry Vol. 37; pp. 46 - 50
• Main Authors: Sreeraj, Vanteemar S., Dinakaran, Damodharan, Parlikar, Rujuta, Chhabra, Harleen, Selvaraj, Sowmya, Shivakumar, Venkataram, Bose, Anushree, Narayanaswamy, Janardhanan C, Venkatasubramanian, Ganesan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01-10-2018
• Subjects: Auditory hallucinations; HD-tDCS; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia; Auditory hallucinations; HD-tDCS
• ISSN: 1876-2018; 1876-2026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2018.08.008

•Conventional tDCS ameliorates auditory hallucinations (AH) in schizophrenia.•High-Definition tDCS (HD-tDCS), an optimized form of tDCS, has the potential for more focalized neuromodulation.•Add-on HD-tDCS significantly reduced persistent AH in schizophrenia patients.•HD-tDCS has promising potential to treat persisting AH in schizophrenia.
Conventional transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has been reported to alleviate persistent auditory hallucinations (AH) in schizophrenia as an add-on intervention. High-Definition tDCS (HD-tDCS), an optimized form of tDCS, has the potential for more focalized neuromodulation. In this study, add-on HD-tDCS (5 days twice daily session with 2-mA cathodal current on left temporo-parietal junction) using 4 × 1 ring montage significantly reduced persistent AH (t = 3.6;p < 0.01) in schizophrenia patients (N = 19). Add-on HD-tDCS has promising potential to treat persisting AH in schizophrenia. This needs further systematic research.