Systematic review of the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation for the treatment of schizophrenia

• Grant number: 16/06576-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): July 01, 2016
• Effective date (End): June 30, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Psychiatry
• Principal Investigator: Leandro da Costa Lane Valiengo
• Grantee: Stephanie Koebe Silveira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Psiquiatria Doutor Antonio Carlos Pacheco e Silva (IPq). Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP (HCFMUSP). Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder characterized by the presence of positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive impairments, with a prevalence of 1% in the general population. About 25% of patients are treatment-resistant. Non-invasive neurostimulation techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS), have been used in the treatment of the disorder. Meta-analyzes show the efficacy of TMS for treating both negative and positive symptoms. Several clinical trials have been conducted using the tDCS for the treatment of auditory hallucinations and negative symptoms in schizophrenia with different results. The aim of this study is to conduct two systematic literature reviews and possible meta-analysis to verify the evidence of tDCS treatment on auditory hallucinations and negative symptoms. We will be first looking for a systematic review of clinical trials using tDCS for the treatment of schizophrenia. Randomized clinical trials and studies that have established data outcomes will be included. After this, the data will be extracted and we will evaluate the outcomes of effective measures for continuous and categorical manner. As main outcome, we will use the scale of auditory hallucination or negative symptoms that was used in the original article. Quality analysis of the included studies according to the criteria of Cochrane will be made and will be evaluated possible biases. After that, it is planned to publish a systematic review and meta-analysis.