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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02360228

STimulation to Improve Auditory haLLucinations

Investigating the effects of non-invasive transcranial current stimulation as a treatment for auditory hallucinations in patients with schizophrenia.

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Key information

Conditions

Schizophrenia Hallucinations Mental Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurobehavioral Manifestations Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Perceptual Disorders Psychotic Disorders Schizoaffective Disorder Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year–70 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

UNC Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States

About this study

The investigator's primary objective is to conduct a pilot clinical trial to establish the feasibility and to collect first effectiveness data for the use of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) to re-normalize pathological alpha oscillations in dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (dl-PFC) of patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder by comparing Auditory Hallucination Rating Scale (AHRS) scores immediately before the first stimulation session and immediately after the last stimulation session. As a secondary objective the investigators will assess the differential clinical effects of sham, 10 Hz and 2 mA transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on electroencephalogram (EEG) measures of alpha oscillations.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia, any subtype, or schizoaffective disorder, with refractory auditory hallucinations. Duration of illness >1 year
  • 18-70 years old
  • Clinically stable for at least 12 weeks, i.e. not requiring hospitalization or a change in level of care
  • On current antipsychotic doses for at least 4 weeks
  • Stable auditory hallucinations as demonstrated by having less than or equal to 20% change in AHRS scores across a 2 week interval during the screening period.
  • Capacity to understand all relevant risks and potential benefits of the study and to provide written informed consent, OR has a legal guardian who can provide informed consent on the patient's behalf with the patient providing written assent to participate.

Exclusion criteria

  • DSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol of substance abuse (other than nicotine) within the last month or a DSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol or substance dependence (other than nicotine) within the last 6 months
  • Medical or neurological illness (unstable cardiac disease, AIDS, malignancy, liver or renal impairment) or treatment for a medical disorder that could interfere with study participation
  • History of traumatic brain injury that required subsequent cognitive rehabilitation, or caused cognitive sequelae
  • Prior brain surgery
  • Any brain devices/implants, including cochlear implants and aneurysm clips
  • Co-morbid neurological condition (e.g. seizure disorder, brain tumor)
  • Non English speakers
  • Female participants who are pregnant, nursing, or unwilling to use an adequate method of contraception during study participation for those of childbearing potential
  • Positive urine test for cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, opiates

Treatment and study plan

tACS (alpha)

Device

tDCS

Device

Primary outcomes

  1. Proportional Change From Baseline in Auditory Hallucination Rating Scale (AHRS) Score

    Time frame: Baseline, five days post baseline, 2 weeks post baseline, 5 weeks post baseline

    The Auditory Hallucination Rating Scale (AHRS) measures the severity of auditory hallucinations in the past week. The scale assesses frequency, duration, location, loudness, belief of origin of voices, negative content, distress, disruption to life, and control over voices. All items are measured on a scale of 0 to 4, with a total possible score of 44. Higher scores indicate higher severity of auditory hallucinations. The investigators will compare the AHRS scores from immediately before the first stimulation and immediately after the last stimulation session as the investigator's primary outcomes measure.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Alpha Oscillations Measured With Electroencephalogram (EEG) Resting State From Baseline

    Time frame: Baseline, five days post baseline

    The investigators will compare alpha oscillation power from resting state EEG recordings on the first and last day of stimulation. The investigators will also collect EEG recordings data at the one week and one month follow up visits. The investigators will use each of the four EEG recordings as data to analyze alpha frequency activity as a pilot study for derivation of EEG biomarkers.

  2. Change in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) Scores

    Time frame: baseline, five days post baseline, five weeks post baseline

    The investigators will compare the PANSS total scores immediately before first stimulation session and immediately after last stimulation session as secondary outcome measures. Scores range from 30 to 210, with higher scores indicating more severe symptomology.

  3. Change in Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) Score

    Time frame: baseline, five days post baseline, five weeks post baseline

    The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) is a battery of cognitive assessments assessing verbal memory and learning, working memory, motor function, verbal fluency, speed of processing, and executive function. Higher scores indicate better cognitive performance. The investigators will compare the BACS total scores immediately before first stimulation session and immediately after last stimulation session as secondary outcome measures.

    Verbal Memory: Score out of 75

    Digit Sequencing: Score out of 28

    Token Motor: Score out of 100

    Fluency: No score limit

    Symbol Coding: Score out of 110

    Tower of London: Score out of 22

    Reported score is the mean of these 6 subtests. Healthy controls (Keefe et al., 2006) scored 45.6 as a comparison.

  4. Change in Peak Frequency of Functional Connectivity From Baseline Measured With Electroencephalogram (EEG) Resting State

    Time frame: Baseline, five days post baseline

    The investigators will compare peak frequency of functional connectivity from resting state EEG recordings on the first and last day of stimulation. The investigators will also collect EEG recordings data at the one week and one month follow up visits. The investigators will use each of the four EEG recordings as data to analyze the change in peak frequency of functional connectivity as a pilot study for derivation of EEG biomarkers.

Other outcomes

  1. Change in Electroencephalogram (EEG) Auditory Tasks: Oddball Task From Baseline

    Time frame: baseline, five days post baseline

    The investigators will compare auditory responses during auditory tasks EEG recordings on the first and last day of stimulation. The investigators will also collect EEG recordings data at the one week and one month follow up visits. The investigators will use each of the four EEG recordings as data to analyze alpha frequency activity as a pilot study for derivation of EEG biomarkers and look for increase in auditory responses.

    Auditory oddball paradigm is an experimental design that has standard (low-pitch) and deviant (high-pitch) stimuli. Differences in ERP from these two stimuli can measure functions of sensory processing. Patients with schizophrenia often exhibit abnormal responses to the stimuli thus its discrepancy compared to healthy human participants can be a hallmark of symptoms in schizophrenia.

  2. Change in Electroencephalogram (EEG) Auditory Tasks: Click Train Task From Baseline

    Time frame: baseline, five days post baseline

    The investigators will compare auditory responses during auditory tasks EEG recordings on the first and last day of stimulation. The investigators will also collect this data at the one week and one month follow up visits.

    Auditory steady-state response (ASSR) from EEG data elicited by auditory click trains is considered as a hallmark of network dysfunction in schizophrenia. To obtain ASSR, auditory tones at a specific frequency (e.g., 40Hz) are presented for multiple trials and EEG data is analyzed to extract brain responses to the stimuli.

    One common way to extract the brain responses from this task is phase coherence between trials. When external stimuli (click trains) occur, brain signals are synchronized to these stimuli and its coherence should be the highest at the stimulation frequency. Phase information for calculating the coherence can be obtained by time-frequency analysis. Averaged coherence across the multiple trials can represent the inter-trial phase coherence.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Registry information

Official study title

Targeting Auditory Hallucinations With Alternating Current Stimulation

Acronym: STILL 2

Important dates

Study start
2015
Primary completion
2017
Study completion
2017
First posted
Feb 10, 2015
Registry last updated
Apr 27, 2018

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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