Cerebellar rTMS for the Treatment of Schizophrenic Patients

Inclusion criteria

• Age between 18-65 years
• Diagnosis of schizophrenia according to DSM-IV criteria(by a board-certified psychiatrist)

Exclusion criteria

• Prior neurosurgical procedures
• Any history of seizure
• Previous head injury
• Contraindication to TMS:

• Implanted pacemaker
• Medication pump
• Vagal stimulator
• Deep brain stimulator
• Metallic hardware in the head or scalp: shrapnel, surgical clips, or fragments from welding
• Signs of increased intracranial pressure
• TENS unit and ventriculo-peritoneal shunt
• Pregnancy or lactating; note that a negative pregnancy test will be required if the patient is a female in reproductive years
• Advanced liver, kidney, cardiac, or pulmonary disease as defined clinically or a terminal medical diagnosis consistent with survival < 1 year
• A history of significant alcohol or drug abuse in the prior six months
• No focal cortical insult can be present, including tumor or vascular malformation
• Patients may not be actively enrolled in a separate intervention study
• Patients unable to undergo a brain MR:

a. claustrophobia refractory to anxiolytics ferromagnetic metal in the body such as a prosthetic heart valve, a pacemaker, or a brain aneurysm clip).

• Change in antipsychotic medication during the last 4 weeks
• Any emergency psychiatry department visit during the last 4 weeks
• Been an inpatient in a psychiatry clinic within the last month
• Any other axis I diagnosis