Efficacy and safety of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on cognitive function in chronic schizophrenia with Tardive Dyskinesia (TD): a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, clinical trial

• Published in: BMC psychiatry 2023-08, Vol.23 (1), p.1-623, Article 623
• Main Authors: Zhou, Yue, Xia, Xingzhi, Zhao, Xueli, Yang, Ruchang, Wu, Yuxuan, Liu, Junjun, Lyu, Xiaoli, Li, Zhe, Zhang, Guangya, Du, Xiangdong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alzheimer's disease; Antipsychotics; Brain research; Chronic Schizophrenia; Clinical trials; Cognitive ability; Dopamine; Double-blind studies; Dyskinesia; Electrical stimulation of the brain; Emotional behavior; ESB; Hospitals; Intra/Extradimensional Set Shift; Mental disorders; Movement disorders; Neuropsychology; Parkinson's disease; Patients; Pattern recognition; Pattern Recognition Memory; Prefrontal cortex; Psychiatry; Psychopathology; Psychotropic drugs; Quality of life; Randomized Controlled Trial; Schizophrenia; Sensation; Side effects; Tardive Dyskinesia; tDCS
• ISSN: 1471-244X; 1471-244X
• DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-05112-0

ObjectivePrevious studies have shown that transcranial direct current stimulation(tDCS) led to an improvement of cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia, but rare study has explored the effect of tDCS on long-term hospitalized chronic schizophrenia with tardive dyskinesia (TD). The present research explored if cognitive function in patients with long-term hospitalized chronic schizophrenia with TD could be improved through tDCS.MethodsThis study is a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial. Of the 52 patients, 14 dropped out, and 38 completed the experiment. Thirty-eight patients on stable treatment regimens were randomly assigned to receive active tDCS(n = 21) or sham stimulation(n = 17) on weekdays of the first, third, and fifth weeks of treatment. Patients performed the Pattern Recognition Memory (PRM) and the Intra/Extradimensional Set Shift (IED) from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) at baseline and the end of week 3, week 5. Clinical symptoms were also measured at the baseline and the fifth week using the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Side effects of tDCS were assessed with an experimenter-administered open-ended questionnaire during the whole experiment.ResultsThere were no significant differences in PRM and IED performance metrics, SANS total score and PANSS total score between active and sham tDCS groups at the end of week 5 (p > 0.05). Furthermore, there was a significant difference in the adverse effects of the tingling sensation between the two groups (p  0.05).ConclusionAccording to these findings, no evidence supports using anodal stimulation over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to improve cognitive function in patients with long-term hospitalized chronic schizophrenia with TD.