Original articleTemporoparietal Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Auditory Hallucinations: Safety, Efficacy and Moderators in a Fifty Patient Sample
Section snippets
Subjects
Patients met diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (using the Structural Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID, Version 2.0, Spitzer et al 1995), and reported AHs at least 5 times per day based on pre-enrollment assessments using a written log or hand-held counter. Exclusion criteria included a prior history of a seizure not induced by drug withdrawal, first degree relative with epilepsy, significant neurological illness or head trauma, significant unstable medical
Primary Outcome Variables
Hallucination Change Scores for the active and sham groups over the course of the trial are illustrated in Figure 1. The Hallucination Change Score was significantly lower for active compared to sham groups for the day 6 assessment (t(44) = −2.53, p = .015) and the final (day 9) assessment (t(43) = −2.70, p = .01). Hallucination Change Score dependence over time was characterized using a random-time model. The time effect (F1,41.4 = 39.43, p < .0001) and the interaction between treatment and
Discussion
Active rTMS was associated with significant improvements in hallucination severity relative to sham stimulation as reflected by Hallucination Change Score, our primary outcome measure. These improvements primarily reflected reductions in hallucination frequency. Overall clinical state as assessed by CGI scores was also more improved following active rTMS relative sham stimulation. Group differences remain significant for these two secondary outcome measures after Bonferroni correction of the
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