TDCS for Auditory Hallucinations in Schizophrenia

The purpose of the present research is to test a potential new treatment for auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia that uses transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), a neurostimulation technique that passes an extremely weak electric current through the brain. During the treatment, two electrodes are positioned on the scalp above regions of the brain implicated in abnormal cortical activity associated with auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia. Due to the directional flow of current, one electrode, termed "cathodal",inhibits cortical activity, and the other, termed "anodal", increases cortical activity. These electrodes will be placed such that cathodal stimulation is applied to an area associated with hyperactivity and anodal stimulation to an area associated with hypoactivity. One preliminary study has revealed that this form of neurostimulation can alleviate auditory verbal hallucination symptoms both immediately following five days of treatment and up to three months after the final treatment. The goal of this study is to replicate these effects and explore the mechanisms that may underpin them.