Structural and Functional Correlates of Clinical Response to rTMS Treatment in Schizophrenia Patients With Resistant Auditory Hallucinations

The potential of non-invasive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) as a therapeutic tool for improving schizophrenic symptoms, in particular resistant hallucinations, has been increasingly studied over the past decades. Several studies have demonstrated that low-frequency patterns of repetitive TMS (rTMS) applied over the left Temporoparietal Junction (TPJ), which are known to decrease local activity, significantly reduced auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenic patients. In spite of highly promising results, a high level of inter-individual variability in the responses to non-invasive brain stimulation treatments, and the fact that rTMS may prove ineffective in some patients, keep spurring controversy about the efficacy of these approaches (as currently performed), as well as about how to increase its efficacy and consistency. Accordingly, the objectives of this project are to better understand the impact of rTMS on the brains of patients with resistant auditory hallucinations, and to use this information not only to better understand this condition but to develop more efficient and consistent therapies. Thus, in this study, the investigators focus more specifically on resistant auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia, which is a common symptom in schizophrenic patients, and can be treated by rTMS. The investigators hypothesize that there is a baseline difference in anatomical and/or functional connectivity between responder and non-responder patients who are treated with rTMS. Therefore, our project will aim to determine some anatomical and functional connectivity markers of response to rTMS treatment in patients with schizophrenia