Clinical Trial: Transcranial Direct Current Brain Stimulation to Treat Patients With Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia

Study Status: Terminated
Recruit Status: Terminated
Study Type: Interventional




Official Title: Safety of Transcranial Direct Current Brain Stimulation (TDCS) for Improvement of Psychotic Symptoms and Cognitive Functioning in Childhood Onset Schizophrenia (COS)

Brief Summary:

This study will test whether transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) can be used safely in children with schizophrenia and if it can improve memory and attention span or auditory hallucinations in these children, at least temporarily. TDCS has temporarily improved memory and attention span in healthy adults and a similar method called TMS has relieved auditory hallucinations in adults with schizophrenia. For the TDCS procedure, the child sits in a chair and two soft sponge electrodes are placed on the child s forehead and held in place with a soft wrapping. One sponge electrode is placed on an arm. The electrodes are attached to a stimulator with a wire.

Children with schizophrenia who meet the following criteria may be eligible for this study:

  • Are 10 yrs or older age.
  • Are participating in NIH protocol 03-M-0035.
  • Are on a stable medication regimen for at least 6 months.
  • Have problems with memory and attention span or have auditory hallucinations.

Participants are randomly assigned to receive either real or sham TDCS on an inpatient or outpatient basis in 20-minute sessions daily, except weekends, for 10 days. For real TDCS, patients receive stimulation to the front of the brain. For sham stimulation, the children have electrodes placed on the forehead, but no actual stimulation is delivered. In addition to TDCS, patients have the following procedures:

  • Checks of blood pressure, pulse and breathing rate before, during and right after each stimulation and again 8 hours later.
  • Electrocardiogram (EKG) and electroenc