Transcranial Direct-current Stimulation (tDCS) in Treatment Refractory Auditory Hallucinations

The aim in this study is to conduct a pilot study on the efficacy of tDCS by assessing its efficacy in treatment refractory auditory verbal hallucinations in inpatients with chronic schizophrenia. Based on and expanding the findings by Brunelin et al. the hypothesis is that tDCS treatment with the cathode on the left temporal-parietal junction and the anode on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex can reduce the severity of auditory verbal hallucinations in patients with treatment refractory schizophrenia. The impact of tDCS on other schizophrenia symptoms in secondary exploratory outcome analyses together with the examination of the durability of an ameliorating effect will also be investigated.