Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26221051›Full record

Trial reportSchizophrenia bulletin2016

Theta Burst Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Auditory Verbal Hallucinations: Negative Findings From a Double-Blind-Randomized Trial.

Sanne Koops, Edwin van Dellen, Maya J L Schutte, Wendy Nieuwdorp, Sebastiaan F W Neggers, Iris E C Sommer

Open access · bronzeAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Schizophrenia bulletin, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
4.3field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 64 citations in OpenAlex.

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  14. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation as a Therapeutic and Probe in Schizophrenia: Examining the Role of Neuroimaging and Future Directions.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2021
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Sanne KoopsPsychiatry Department, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Utrecht, The Netherlands s.koops@umcutrecht.nl.
Edwin van DellenPsychiatry Department, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Maya J L SchuttePsychiatry Department, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Wendy NieuwdorpPsychiatry Department, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Sebastiaan F W NeggersPsychiatry Department, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Iris E C SommerPsychiatry Department, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
University Medical Center Utrecht · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAuditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) in schizophrenia are resistant to antipsychotic medication in approximately 25% of patients. Treatment with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for refractory AVH has shown varying results. A stimulation protocol using continuous theta burst rTMS (TB-rTMS) showed high efficacy in open label studies. We tested TB-rTMS as a treatment strategy for refractory AVH in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

methodsSeventy-one patients with AVH were randomly allocated to TB-rTMS or placebo treatment. They received 10 TB-rTMS or sham treatments over the left temporoparietal cortex in consecutive days. AVH severity was assessed at baseline, end of treatment and follow-up using the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scale (PSYRATS) and the Auditory Hallucinations Rating Scale (AHRS). Other schizophrenia-related symptoms were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).

resultsSeven patients dropped out before completing the study. In the remaining 64, AVH improved significantly after treatment in both groups as measured with both PSYRATS and AHRS. PANSS positive and general subscores also decreased, but the negative subscores did not. However, improvement did not differ significantly between the TB-rTMS and the placebo group on any outcome measure.

conclusionsSymptom reduction could be achieved in patients with medication-resistant hallucinations, even within 1 week time. However, as both groups showed similar improvement, effects were general (ie, placebo-effects) rather than specific to treatment with continuous TB-rTMS. Our findings highlight the importance of double-blind trials including a sham-control condition to assess efficacy of new treatments such as TMS.

Indexed as

Schizophrenic PsychologyAdultDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHallucinationsHumansMaleMiddle AgedParietal LobePlacebo EffectSchizophreniaTemporal LobeTranscranial Magnetic StimulationTreatment OutcomeYoung Adultfocal stimulationpsychotic disorderRCTTMSvoices

Identifiers

PMID26221051
PMCPMC4681555
OpenAlexW2254864820

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.