Mild electrical stimulation to the brain could improve thinking and reduce auditory hallucinations in people with schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder, researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have found.
The researchers from UNSW’s School of Psychiatry are trialling transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), a very mild form of electrical stimulation that increases brain activity. The group is seeking participants for an ongoing study looking at the effects of tDCS on thinking and a new trial looking to treat thinking and auditory hallucinations.
The treatment is applied through electrodes placed on the scalp. In the past it has shown good results in people with depression. A possible side effect during treatment may be a faint tingling or warm sensation on the scalp.
“Electrical stimulation to the frontal region of the brain has been shown to improve thinking in healthy people and our early results show the same may be true for some people with schizophrenia,” says study leader, Dr Thomas Weickert.
“People with schizophrenia have difficulty thinking, often caused by problems in the frontal region of the brain. These thinking problems do not usually improve with antipsychotic medication and are responsible in part for the inability to function normally in the community,” Dr Weickert says.
“We will also provide multiple sessions to see if the positive effects of tDCS we are seeing now can become more generalised and long term.”
Dr Weickert says a second study will look at tDCS’s effectiveness as treatment for both thinking and auditory hallucinations.
“It’s a question of how you place the electrodes. Until now we’ve only placed them in a way that will benefit thinking, but if we slightly alter the placement then thinking should improve and auditory hallucinations should be reduced.”
People with schizophrenia aged 18 to 50 who want to take part in the trials should phone 02 9399 1858 or email [email protected]
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