Active clinical trials for "Hallucinations"

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) are a characterising symptom of schizophrenia. In the majority of patients, these AVH respond well to antipsychotic medication. Yet, a significant minority continues to experience frequent AVH despite optimal pharmacotherapy. The number of alternative treatment options for this medication resistant group is currently low and most of them focus on coping with the hallucinations. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), in contrast, is a non-invasive technique of influencing cortical excitability. This technique has the potential to actually decrease the frequency and severity of medication resistant hallucinations. Several previous studies have assessed efficacy of low frequency rTMS, with contradicting results. A previous large study by the investigators group could not demonstrate efficacy of low frequency rTMS. A new stimulation protocol using theta burst rTMS (TBS) could provide a more effective therapeutic option. Objective: The present study aims to examine the efficacy of TBS on the severity of AVH. Study design: The objectives are tested in a randomized double blind placebo-controlled trail. Study population: 60 patients with the diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder or psychosis not otherwise specified with frequent auditory verbal hallucinations will be included. Intervention: The participant will receive either 10 TBS treatments or 10 placebo treatments consisting of 900 pulses each with a 30 minute interval on the left temporoparietal area, distributed over 5 treatment days. Stimulation will be at 80% of the motor threshold. Main study parameters/endpoints: the main study parameter is the change in the severity of the AVH. The secondary study parameter is the number and severity of adverse events.

The current study investigates the basic principles that underlie the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation for chronic auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia in a multimodal design.

The purpose of this study is to exploratively evaluate the efficacy and safety of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in patients with schizophrenia who experience persistent auditory verbal hallucinations after adequate antipsychotics therapy for over three months.

Auditory hallucinations are common (present in 60-70% of cases) and extremely debilitating. Behavioral disorders associated with them can have serious social repercussions. However, in 25% of cases the usual antipsychotic drug treatments are incompletely or totally ineffective. Fifteen subjects will be included after collection and signed their informed consent. The rTMS treatment is made of 4 sessions of 13 minutes spread over two days, at a frequency of 20 Hz and an intensity of 80% of motor threshold at rest. These constants are used to stay below the risk of occurrence of seizures, the only serious side effects identified. Furthermore the rTMS treatment is almost painless: tension headaches are the main side effects and make amends with simple analgesics. rTMS is devoid of neurocognitive effects. The LEFT stimulation site will be established through a anatomofunctional imaging before treatment (between D-7 and D0). Treatment efficacy will be evaluated daily during treatment (days 1 and 2) and during the first 2 weeks of starting treatment.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether trans Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is effective in the treatment of auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) as an add-on treatment for auditory hallucinations in refractory schizophrenia. Meanwhile, we aim to evaluate the effect of tACS on cognitive function of schizophrenia patients. we hypothesize tACS would improve refractory auditory hallucination symptoms in schizophrenia by regulating the gamma frequency band of temporal lobe。

The purpose of the present research is to test a potential new treatment for auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia that uses transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), a neurostimulation technique that passes an extremely weak electric current through the brain. During the treatment, two electrodes are positioned on the scalp above regions of the brain implicated in abnormal cortical activity associated with auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia. Due to the directional flow of current, one electrode, termed "cathodal",inhibits cortical activity, and the other, termed "anodal", increases cortical activity. These electrodes will be placed such that cathodal stimulation is applied to an area associated with hyperactivity and anodal stimulation to an area associated with hypoactivity. One preliminary study has revealed that this form of neurostimulation can alleviate auditory verbal hallucination symptoms both immediately following five days of treatment and up to three months after the final treatment. The goal of this study is to replicate these effects and explore the mechanisms that may underpin them.

This is a randomized controlled trial, examining the effects of a computerized, internet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Intervention for persons with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder who experience distressing auditory hallucinations (voices). Participants are randomized to one of two conditions: either to receive the 10-session computer-based program on a weekly basis, or to their usual care at their mental health clinic. This study takes place at Cambridge Health Alliance in Cambridge Massachusetts. It is hypothesized that the participants who participate in the CBT program will have significant improvements in the severity of their auditory hallucinations, as well as their associated distress, compared to the participants receiving usual care.

Case series design with participants with psychosis with a history of interpersonal trauma/abuse and current distressing auditory verbal hallucinations and dissociative experience. Participants were offered up to 24 therapy sessions over a 6-month intervention window.

Treatment of verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia is clinically challenging for both the patient and the therapist. For the therapist, one of the main difficulties arises from the impossibility of directly communicating with the entity persecuting the patient. For the patient, the therapeutic process is challenging because it aims at getting to better cope with an entity that keeps repeating stereotyped and abusive sentences without having the emotional strength to reply to the persecutor. To help overcome these clinical challenges, virtual reality enable patients to recreate the face and the voice of their persecutor.The hypothesis is that the engagement of patients in a dialogue with an external representation of their persecutor, with the support of the therapist, would help them to gain better control over their voices.