Interest of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) in the Treatment of Auditory Hallucinations (TMS HALLU)

Caen University Hospital

Status and phase

Completed

Phase 2

Conditions

Schizophrenic Disorders

Treatments

Device: Transcranial magnetic stimulation: rTMS

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT02525315

06-137

Details and patient eligibility

About

Auditory hallucinations are common (present in 60-70% of cases) and extremely debilitating. Behavioral disorders associated with them can have serious social repercussions. However, in 25% of cases the usual antipsychotic drug treatments are incompletely or totally ineffective.

Fifteen subjects will be included after collection and signed their informed consent.

The rTMS treatment is made of 4 sessions of 13 minutes spread over two days, at a frequency of 20 Hz and an intensity of 80% of motor threshold at rest. These constants are used to stay below the risk of occurrence of seizures, the only serious side effects identified. Furthermore the rTMS treatment is almost painless: tension headaches are the main side effects and make amends with simple analgesics. rTMS is devoid of neurocognitive effects. The LEFT stimulation site will be established through a anatomofunctional imaging before treatment (between D-7 and D0).

Treatment efficacy will be evaluated daily during treatment (days 1 and 2) and during the first 2 weeks of starting treatment.

Enrollment

15 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18 to 60 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Patients with schizophrenic disorders aged from 18 to 60 years old
Patients suffering from auditory hallucinations undergoing antipsychotic treatments
Written signed consent

Exclusion criteria