Transcranial magnetic stimulation for auditory hallucination in severe schizophrenia: partial efficacy and acute elevation of sympathetic modulation.

摘要

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been reported to be an effective treatment for auditory hallucination (AH) in schizophrenia patients. The efficacy of rTMS and immediate changes in cardiac autonomic function (CAF) after rTMS in severe schizophrenia patients with AH (n = 8) were investigated. Three patients reported a >or=50% reduction of AH after rTMS. The ratio of low-frequency power to high-frequency power, an index of sympathetic modulation, increased significantly after rTMS. Further replication studies with larger sample sizes are indicated.