Hearing voices in schizophrenia: Groundbreaking study shows that transcranial magnetic stimulation helps

For the first time, a large-scale clinical study has clearly demonstrated that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an effective and safe treatment option for people with persistent voice hearing (auditory hallucinations). The results of the study, in which scientists from the DZPG sites in Tübingen, Munich-Augsburg, and Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm participated, mark an important milestone in the treatment of schizophrenia.

The researchers used a special form of TMS called continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS). This technique specifically stimulates the areas of the brain responsible for speech and language comprehension. 138 adults took part in the three-week study. The study showed that TMS can significantly alleviate the symptoms of hearing voices in many patients and is well tolerated. The positive results open up new treatment options that go beyond medication and psychotherapy.
“These results represent an important milestone in the treatment of people with auditory hallucinations,” says study leader Prof. Christian Plewnia from the University Hospital of Tübingen. “TMS offers sufferers a new, effective, and well-tolerated treatment option. This allows treatment to be better tailored to individual needs—and significantly improves the lives of those affected.”

Severe stress caused by inner voices

Auditory hallucinations are often very stressful for people with schizophrenia. They hear voices without any corresponding external sound source, which are often threatening or commanding. Conventional drug or psychotherapeutic treatments are often insufficiently effective or are not tolerated.

TMS has been researched for several years as a promising treatment method for patients who experience distressing auditory hallucinations. However, until now there has been no sufficiently large study to prove that the treatment really works. This gap has now been closed by the study published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Source: DZPG (in German)