Five days of brain stimulation reduced schizophrenia symptoms in a small trial
A small randomized trial in Tehran found an immediate reduction in schizophrenia symptoms after electrical brain stimulation alongside medication. The single peer-reviewed study compared active and sham treatment over five days. Its analysis included thirty-nine participants, while quality-of-life differences lost statistical significance after correction and the persistence of symptom changes was not measured.
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Immediate symptom scores fell in the active group
A small trial at Razi Psychiatric Hospital in Tehran, Iran, tested electrical brain stimulation alongside existing medication for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. At least two earlier courses of antipsychotic treatment had been unsuccessful for these participants. The single peer-reviewed randomized experiment found a greater immediate improvement in the active group than in the sham group. Medication continued in both groups throughout the intervention.[1]
Active and sham sessions followed the same schedule
The double-blind design initially randomized 45 participants from eight inpatient wards. Six did not receive their assigned intervention, leaving 20 active and 19 sham participants in the analysis. An independent researcher prepared the allocation sequence, which was unavailable to outcome assessors. Active stimulation lasted twenty minutes per session, with two sessions each day over a five-day course. In the comparison arm, current was switched off after a brief rise and fall at the start of each session.[1]
Quality-of-life differences faded after correction
The main outcome was change on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), a measure of schizophrenia symptoms, immediately after treatment. Mean scores in the active group fell from 84.95 to 59.35; sham scores rose from 78.21 to 80.26. Quality-of-life differences did not remain statistically significant after multiple-comparison correction. The small single-hospital sample and analysis restricted to intervention recipients limit generalization. With no follow-up assessment, the experiment measured immediate change rather than its duration.[1]
