Recent advances in noninvasive brain stimulation for schizophrenia
Jérôme Brunelin1,2, Ondine Adam1,2, Marine Mondino1,2
1Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, Bron.
Current Opinion in Psychiatry
|July 20, 2022
Summary
Noninvasive brain stimulation shows promise for treating antipsychotic-resistant schizophrenia symptoms. Recent advancements in stimulation techniques and parameters offer improved efficacy and cognitive benefits for patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Neuromodulation
Background:
- Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has gained prominence over the past 30 years as a therapeutic option for schizophrenia.
- It specifically targets patients with symptoms resistant to traditional antipsychotic medications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an updated review of the recent advancements in applying NIBS for schizophrenia symptom management.
- To highlight progress in optimizing stimulation techniques for enhanced therapeutic outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) and published studies on NIBS for schizophrenia.
- Analysis of novel stimulation parameters, including theta burst stimulation and new electrical stimulation types.
- Examination of alternative cortical and subcortical targets and accelerated protocols.
Main Results:
- Recent RCTs demonstrate sustained clinical benefits of stimulation techniques for schizophrenia symptoms.
- Optimization strategies, including new stimulation parameters (e.g., theta burst stimulation) and targets, show encouraging results.
- Novel electrical stimulation methods (alternating, random noise) and deeper stimulation strategies exhibit clinical and cognitive utility.
Conclusions:
- NIBS presents a promising avenue for treating schizophrenia, with significant flexibility in parameters allowing for optimization.
- Further research is essential to identify optimal stimulation parameters for maximizing patient response rates and treatment effectiveness.
