Experimental somatic treatments: Transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of auditory verbal hallucinations-A meta-analysis and review

Abstract

Since 1999, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been investigated as a treatment method for auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH). In this chapter, an up-to-date meta-analysis is presented. Most rTMS studies have applied low-frequency stimulation, with 1 Hz, usually to the left temporoparietal region. We found that repetitive TMS has a medium-sized effect on the severity of AVH; this effect is decreasing over time, probably due to the publication of studies with larger patient samples and more negative results in recent years. It would be interesting to investigate whether patients with medication-resistant AVH may benefit more from rTMS when other paradigms are used. Therefore, more studies are needed to explore alternative rTMS paradigms, such as high-frequency TMS or burst sequences, the usage of higher motor thresholds, and/or the application of rTMS with the aid of an H-coil.