New Paper: Targeting negative symptoms in schizophrenia with tDCS

Schizophr Res. 2015 Aug;166(1-3):362-3. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2015.05.029.

Targeting negative symptoms in schizophrenia: results from a proof-of-concept trial assessing prefrontal anodic tDCS protocol.

Kurimori M, Shiozawa P, Bikson M, Aboseria M, Cordeiro Q.

Full paper: kurimori2015  Pubmed link

“….In the present study anodic tDCS protocol was found to ameliorate negative symptoms in schizophrenia. The present results need to be taken as hypothesis-driven given the study design. Limitations to this study include its unblinded nature, small sample size, lack of a control group, and short length. Moreover, our results may be overestimated due to intrinsic characteristics such as the placebo effect and Hawthorne effect. However, the current “proof-of-concept” trial is aimed at evaluat- ing preliminary effects of a new experimental tDCS protocol. We under- stand that the trends seen in the completers shall strongly justify a larger double-blind study with better estimation of sample size.”