tDCS in treatment of symptoms of schizophrenia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Transcranial direct current stimulation for improving cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.
IRAS ID
178808
Contact name
Sukhi Shergill
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Schizophrenia exerts an enormous personal, societal and financial cost and is one of the most disabling of illnesses. Even with optimal treatment, individuals with schizophrenia are commonly left with cognitive impairments impacting on key functions such as memory, attention and learning. These functions are recognised to be primarily associated with the prefrontal cortex of the brain, and modulating activity in this brain region forms the basis of different interventional approaches.
The effects of cognitive training (CT) in schizophrenia show moderate improvement in overall cognitive functioning; and psychosocial functioning (including the ability to solve interpersonal problems, obtaining jobs and satisfaction with
interpersonal relationships) when paired with psychiatric rehabilitation.
Research suggests that cognitive training can be enhanced by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation method. However it is not clear if cognitive improvement generalises to other non-trained tasks within the same cognitive domain and improvement in global functioning.
The aim of this study is to establish if the synergistic effects of cognitive training and tDCS will generlise to global cognitive functioning non-trained as indexed by Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia Consensus Cognitive Battery (MATRICS MCCB).REC name
London - Westminster Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/1574
Date of REC Opinion
18 Nov 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion