Left temporoparietal transcranial magnetic stimulation in treatment-resistant schizophrenia with verbal hallucinations

Left temporoparietal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) reportedly diminishes verbal hallucinations. A 21-year-old schizophrenic man, who had killed his mother in the belief that she was a demon, failed to respond to combined treatment with a variety of antipsychotic agents. His persistent hallucinations consisted of two voices (God and the Devil). As an adjunct to continued antipsychotic medication, the patient received a course of rTMS: 10 sessions of 1-Hz stimulations near Wernicke's area. After rTMS, the patient's hallucinations grew less intrusive and he no longer required isolation. Although the improvement could be a delayed effect of medication, further trials of rTMS in cases of this type appear justified.