Can Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Improve Cognitive Functioning in Adults with Schizophrenia?

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Cognitive impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia, impacting treatment efficacy.
• Existing cognitive remediation strategies for schizophrenia often yield limited results.
• Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has shown potential for cognitive enhancement in healthy individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the tolerability and safety of tDCS in individuals with schizophrenia.
• To investigate the effects of tDCS on cognitive functions, particularly working memory, in schizophrenia patients and their relatives.
• To explore tDCS as a potential non-invasive intervention for cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.

Main Methods:

• A study involving five schizophrenia outpatients and six first-degree relatives.
• Participants underwent two 30-minute sessions of tDCS targeting the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC).
• Cognitive tasks assessing working memory, verbal fluency, and executive functions were administered during anodal and cathodal tDCS.

Main Results:

• Anodal tDCS over the left DLPFC significantly improved working memory and verbal fluency (word retrieval) compared to cathodal stimulation.
• Schizophrenia patients exhibited altered novel design production, suggesting effects on self-monitoring and executive control.
• All participants tolerated tDCS well, with no adverse events or dropouts, indicating good safety and feasibility.

Conclusions:

• Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is well-tolerated by adults with schizophrenia during cognitive tasks.
• tDCS demonstrates potential as a tool to modulate cognitive performance in individuals with schizophrenia.
• These findings support further research into tDCS for cognitive remediation in schizophrenia.