Preliminary findings of four-week, task-based anodal prefrontal cortex transcranial direct current stimulation transferring to other cognitive improvements in schizophrenia
Weickert, T.W.; Salimuddin, H.; Lenroot, R.K.; Bruggemann, J.; Loo, C.; Vercammen, A.; Kindler, Jochen; Weickert, C.S. (2019). Preliminary findings of four-week, task-based anodal prefrontal cortex transcranial direct current stimulation transferring to other cognitive improvements in schizophrenia. Psychiatry research, 280, p. 112487. Elsevier 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.112487
1-s2.0-S0165178119304871-main.pdf - Published Version
Most transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) trials of schizophrenia administer few sessions and do not assess transfer effects to other cognitive domains. In a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, parallel groups trial, we determined the extent to which 4-weeks of 2 mA tDCS at 20 min/day totalling 20 tDCS sessions administered during a spatial working memory test, with anodal right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and cathodal left tempo-parietal junction (TPJ) placement, as an adjunct to antipsychotics reduced auditory hallucinations and improved cognition in 12 outpatients with schizophrenia. Anodal tDCS significantly improved language-based working memory after 2 weeks and verbal fluency after 2 and 4 weeks. Thus, four weeks of tDCS appears to be safe and elicits transfer benefits to other prefrontal-dependent cognitive abilities in schizophrenia.
1 since deposited on 28 Jan 2020
04 Faculty of Medicine > University Psychiatric Services > University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
04 Faculty of Medicine > University Psychiatric Services > University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy > Research Division
Kindler, Jochen
Chantal Michel
10.1016/j.psychres.2019.112487