Deep Brain Stimulation in Treatment Resistant Schizophrenia

The first phase of the study will consist of implanting electrodes. Recruited patients will be random to 2 targets: (1) medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC); (2) nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Continuous stimulation will be applied until the patients stabilise clinically. This period is anticipated between 6 and 9 months. After this stage, the next phase will consist of the crossover study. Those patients who respond to DBS will be randomly distributed in two groups, for a period of 3 months: on stimulation group and off stimulation group. Patients will then be crossed over to the other group for a further 3 months. Weekly visits during first month after, and fortnightly visits will be made during the entire study to evaluate treatment efficacy and patient tolerance. Patients who complete the study and respond to treatment with DBS will be provided continuing with treatment, and keeping control visits to assess the long-term effectiveness.