Basic information

Investigator: doc. MUDr. Monika Klírová, Ph.D.
Main recipient: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Co-recipient: n/a
Research period: 1/1/2026 - 31/12/2029
Total budget: 11,390,000 CZK
NIMH budget: 11,390,000 CZK
Supported by: Czech Health Research Council (AZV ČR)

 

 

Annotation

Cognitive impairment is, along with positive and negative symptoms, one of the major symptom groups in patients with schizophrenia, affecting 80% of patients. Whereas the positive and negative symptoms can be treated with a range of pharmacological agents, pharmacological treatment of cognitive symptoms does not produce sufficient results. Therefore, there is a demand for other methods and therapeutic approaches, as well as for a more detailed understanding of the underlying pathology and mechanisms of action of the proposed intervention methods.

One of the possible interventions is transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), during which a small-intensity alternating current flows between two or more electrodes placed on predefined sites on the patient's head, and interferes with endogenous oscillations in brain networks. Dysfunctions in endogenous network oscillations have been found in schizophrenia, namely theta and gamma band reduction or theta/gamma coupling disturbance. TACS might be able to manipulate these endogenous oscillations and, therefore, improve cognitive impairment.

A small number of studies have found an improvement after theta tACS. However, concomitant theta/gamma tACS has to date only been tested in healthy participants, with subsequent improvement of working memory. The purpose of the proposed clinical double-blind study is to evaluate the effect of 10 sessions of tACS in schizophrenia patients. Theta/gamma tACS will be used for the first time in a clinical population. Changes in cognition, overall severity of symptoms, and neurophysiological (EEG and transcranial magnetic stimulation) changes will be evaluated.

These methods, when correlated with the results of cognitive tests, could give insights into the pathology of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia, with possible translation into other disorders. In case of positive results, the study could contribute to research and development of tACS as a potential therapeutic method.