1.Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) and Its Role in Schizophrenia: A Scoping Review
Harsh PATHAK ; Vanteemar S SREERAJ ; Ganesan VENKATASUBRAMANIAN
Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience 2023;21(4):634-649
Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) may modulate neuronal oscillations by applying sinusoidal alternating current, thereby alleviating associated symptoms in schizophrenia. Considering its possible utility in schizophrenia, we reviewed the literature for tACS protocols administered in schizophrenia and their findings. A scoping review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline in databases and clinical trial registers. The search resulted in 59 publications. After excluding review articles unrelated to tACS, trials without published results or not involving patients with schizophrenia, 14 studies were included. Among the included studies/case reports only 5 were randomized controlled therapeutic trials. The studies investigated the utility of tACS for clinical and neurobiological outcomes. All studies reported good tolerability with only transient mild side effects. It was administered mostly during the working memory task (such as computerized n-back task, dual back task, and computerized digit symbol substitution task) for schizophrenia patients with cognitive deficits and during resting state while targeting positive symptoms. A possible reduction in hallucinations and delusions using alpha tACS, and improvement in negative and cognitive deficits with theta and gamma tACS were reported. Nevertheless, one of the randomized controlled trials targeting hallucinations was negative and rigorous large-sample studies are lacking for other domains. The current evidence for tACS in schizophrenia is preliminary though promising. In future, more sham controlled randomized trials assessing the effect of tACS on various domains are needed to substantiate these early findings.
2.Lateral Occipital Cortex as a Novel Target for Neuromodulation to Attenuate Auditory and Visual Hallucinations in a Patient with Ultra-treatment-resistant Schizophrenia: A Case Report
Kiran Basawaraj BAGALI ; Harsh PATHAK ; Swarna Buddha NAYOK ; Srinivas BALACHANDER ; Vanteemar S SREERAJ ; Ganesan VENKATASUBRAMANIAN
Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience 2025;23(1):171-174
Auditory/visual hallucinations and perceptual anomalies are one of the core symptoms experienced by patients with schizophrenia. Studies have implicated lateral occipital cortex (LOC) as one of the areas to be aberrantly functioning in schizophrenia, possibly associated with the auditory/visual symptoms of schizophrenia. Here we report of a case of a 29-year-old female diagnosed with treatment resistant schizophrenia on clozapine with persistent auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) and visual anomalies. Upon targeting the LOC (−40, −66, −8) in this patient, there was a > 25% reduction in AVH, with reduction in the frequency of most visual anomalies and an overall significant response in terms of reduction of symptoms and improvement in functioning. We further discuss the potential of LOC as a novel target for neuromodulation in patients exhibiting perceptual abnormalities especially in auditory and visual senses.
3.Lateral Occipital Cortex as a Novel Target for Neuromodulation to Attenuate Auditory and Visual Hallucinations in a Patient with Ultra-treatment-resistant Schizophrenia: A Case Report
Kiran Basawaraj BAGALI ; Harsh PATHAK ; Swarna Buddha NAYOK ; Srinivas BALACHANDER ; Vanteemar S SREERAJ ; Ganesan VENKATASUBRAMANIAN
Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience 2025;23(1):171-174
Auditory/visual hallucinations and perceptual anomalies are one of the core symptoms experienced by patients with schizophrenia. Studies have implicated lateral occipital cortex (LOC) as one of the areas to be aberrantly functioning in schizophrenia, possibly associated with the auditory/visual symptoms of schizophrenia. Here we report of a case of a 29-year-old female diagnosed with treatment resistant schizophrenia on clozapine with persistent auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) and visual anomalies. Upon targeting the LOC (−40, −66, −8) in this patient, there was a > 25% reduction in AVH, with reduction in the frequency of most visual anomalies and an overall significant response in terms of reduction of symptoms and improvement in functioning. We further discuss the potential of LOC as a novel target for neuromodulation in patients exhibiting perceptual abnormalities especially in auditory and visual senses.
4.Lateral Occipital Cortex as a Novel Target for Neuromodulation to Attenuate Auditory and Visual Hallucinations in a Patient with Ultra-treatment-resistant Schizophrenia: A Case Report
Kiran Basawaraj BAGALI ; Harsh PATHAK ; Swarna Buddha NAYOK ; Srinivas BALACHANDER ; Vanteemar S SREERAJ ; Ganesan VENKATASUBRAMANIAN
Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience 2025;23(1):171-174
Auditory/visual hallucinations and perceptual anomalies are one of the core symptoms experienced by patients with schizophrenia. Studies have implicated lateral occipital cortex (LOC) as one of the areas to be aberrantly functioning in schizophrenia, possibly associated with the auditory/visual symptoms of schizophrenia. Here we report of a case of a 29-year-old female diagnosed with treatment resistant schizophrenia on clozapine with persistent auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) and visual anomalies. Upon targeting the LOC (−40, −66, −8) in this patient, there was a > 25% reduction in AVH, with reduction in the frequency of most visual anomalies and an overall significant response in terms of reduction of symptoms and improvement in functioning. We further discuss the potential of LOC as a novel target for neuromodulation in patients exhibiting perceptual abnormalities especially in auditory and visual senses.
5.Lateral Occipital Cortex as a Novel Target for Neuromodulation to Attenuate Auditory and Visual Hallucinations in a Patient with Ultra-treatment-resistant Schizophrenia: A Case Report
Kiran Basawaraj BAGALI ; Harsh PATHAK ; Swarna Buddha NAYOK ; Srinivas BALACHANDER ; Vanteemar S SREERAJ ; Ganesan VENKATASUBRAMANIAN
Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience 2025;23(1):171-174
Auditory/visual hallucinations and perceptual anomalies are one of the core symptoms experienced by patients with schizophrenia. Studies have implicated lateral occipital cortex (LOC) as one of the areas to be aberrantly functioning in schizophrenia, possibly associated with the auditory/visual symptoms of schizophrenia. Here we report of a case of a 29-year-old female diagnosed with treatment resistant schizophrenia on clozapine with persistent auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) and visual anomalies. Upon targeting the LOC (−40, −66, −8) in this patient, there was a > 25% reduction in AVH, with reduction in the frequency of most visual anomalies and an overall significant response in terms of reduction of symptoms and improvement in functioning. We further discuss the potential of LOC as a novel target for neuromodulation in patients exhibiting perceptual abnormalities especially in auditory and visual senses.