Study of 1Hz Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Improve Brain Inhibition in Adults with Schizophrenia

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying a pilot clinical trial to evaluate repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation rTMS in 34 people with schizophrenia. The trial aims to see if a 5-day, 1 Hertz Hz rTMS treatment targeting the motor cortex can increase brain inhibition, measured by a decrease in the short-interval intracortical inhibition SICI score. The study also explores how rTMS affects the resting functional connectivity of the motor cortex and other brain regions, as well as changes in cognitive performance. Participants with schizophrenia will be randomly assigned to receive either active 1Hz rTMS or a sham placebo version of the treatment. The rTMS involves multiple trains of stimulation each day over five days using either an active or sham device coil. This randomized, double-blind trial is designed to estimate the feasibility and tolerability of the rTMS intervention and to gather preliminary data for future research. During the study, participants will undergo assessments before and after the treatment to measure changes in SICI scores, brain connectivity, and cognitive task performance such as stop signal reaction time and spatial working memory. Additional clinical scales and medication information will be collected to explore relationships with brain inhibition changes. Safety, tolerability, and adherence will be monitored throughout the trial, which is expected to last one week for primary outcome measurement.

TMS for Inhibition Enhancement in Schizophrenia