Use of transcranial direct current stimulation for the treatment of auditory hallucinations of schizophrenia – a systematic review

Figures & data

Figure 1 Flow diagram of selection process.

Table 1 Clinical parameters of studies obtained for systematic review

References	n	Diagnosis	Diagnostic criteria	Eligibility criteria	Outcome measurements extracted
Brunelin et al^Citation20	30	Schizophrenia	DSM-IV	Patients with AVH refractory to treatment with antipsychotic drugs Subjects with AVH and persistent negative symptoms after failure of therapy with two different antipsychotic agents with adequate posologies	AHRS
Fitzgerald et al^Citation23	24	Schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder	M.I.N.I.	Patients excluded were those presenting with neuropsychiatric comorbidities and pregnant women who used carbamazepine or who used antipsychotic drugs irregularly	PANSS
Mondino et al^Citation25	28	Schizophrenia	Not related	Individuals with AVH refractory to treatment	Frequency of AVH
Mondino et al^Citation26	23	Schizophrenia	DSM-IV	Patients who exhibited AVH daily, in spite of regular use of antipsychotic drugs with adequate dose for a minimum of 3 months. Patients excluded were those with concomitant diagnosis of Axis 1 disorder	AHRS
Smith et al^Citation27	33	Schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder	DSM-IV	Regular smoker patients who lived in residences in the study community	AHRS and PANSS
Fröhlich et al^Citation28	26	Schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder	DSM-IV	Subjects who presented at least 3 AVH episodes/week for at least 12 weeks, with fixed antipsychotic posology for a minimum of 4 weeks before the study began	AHRS

Abbreviations: AHRS, Auditory Hallucination Rating Scale, AVH, auditory verbal hallucinations; DSM-IV, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV; M.I.N.I, Mini-Interview Neuropsychiatric Interview; n, number of patients included in the study; PANSS, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale.

Table 2 tDCS parameters of studies obtained for systematic review

References	tDCS device	No of devices used	Electrodes positioninga	Electrode surface (cm^2)	I (mA)	t (min)	No of sessions (n/day)
Brunelin et al^Citation20	Neuroconn eldith	1	A: midpoint between F3 and FP1; C: midpoint between T3 and P3	35	2	20	10 (2×/day)
	DC stimulator plus	2	Bilateral stimulation A: F3 and F4; C: TP3 and TP4
Fitzgerald et al^Citation23	Neuroconn eldith	1	Unilateral stimulation A: F3; C: TP3	35	2	20	15 (1×/day)
	DC stimulator plus
Mondino et al^Citation25	Neuroconn eldith	1	A: midpoint between F3 and FP1; C: midpoint between T3 and P3	35	2	20	10 (2×/day)
	DC stimulator plus
Mondino et al^Citation26	Neuroconn eldith	1	A: midpoint between F3 and FP1; C: midpoint between T3 and P3	35	2	20	10 (2×/day)
	DC stimulator plus
Smith et al^Citation27	Chattanooga ionto system stimulator	1	A: F3; C: FP2	35	2	20	5 (1×/day)
Fröhlich et al^Citation28	Neuroconn eldith	2	A: between F3 and FP1; C: between T3 and P3; return electrode: Cz	35	2	20	5 (1×/day)
	DC stimulator plus

Note:

a Positioning of all electrodes was in accordance with the 10–20 EEG International System.

Abbreviations: I, current intensity; n, number; t, time of duration of each tDCS session; tDCS, transcranial direct current stimulation.

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