Insight facilitation with add-on tDCS in schizophrenia

• Published in: Schizophrenia research Vol. 156; no. 1; pp. 63 - 65
• Main Authors: Bose, Anushree, Shivakumar, Venkataram, Narayanaswamy, Janardhanan C, Nawani, Hema, Subramaniam, Aditi, Agarwal, Sri Mahavir, Chhabra, Harleen, Kalmady, Sunil V, Venkatasubramanian, Ganesan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.06.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Antipsychotic Agents - therapeutic use; Auditory hallucinations; Biological and medical sciences; Electric Stimulation Therapy - methods; Electric Stimulation Therapy - psychology; Female; Hallucinations - etiology; Hallucinations - therapy; Humans; Insight; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - complications; Schizophrenia - therapy; Schizophrenic Psychology; tDCS; Treatments; Young Adult; DLPFC; Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder; auditory hallucination score; Auditory hallucinations; Schizophrenia; AHS; dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; TPJ; transcranial Direct Current Stimulation; Schedule for Assessment of Insight; tDCS; Insight; SAI; SUMD; temporo-parietal junction; Psychosis; Facilitation; Human; Treatment efficiency; Auditory hallucination; Transcranial electrical stimulation
• ISSN: 0920-9964; 1573-2509
• DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2014.03.029

Abstract Impaired insight in schizophrenia patients has been linked with prefrontal deficits. In this open-label study, we examined for potential insight facilitation effects of add-on tDCS (with anodal stimulation of left DLPFC and cathodal stimulation over left temporo-parietal junction) in schizophrenia patients (N = 21) with persistent auditory hallucinations despite adequate antipsychotic treatment. Following tDCS, there was a significant improvement in insight with concurrent significant reduction in auditory hallucination severity. Improvement in insight correlated significantly with improvement in severity of auditory hallucinations. These findings suggest improvement of insight with add-on tDCS in schizophrenia with persistent auditory hallucinations.