Enhancing Brain Connectivity in Schizophrenia Through Neuromodulation (Study 1)

Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that affects about 1% of the population but a major source of disability. Information processing between brain regions occurs due to transfer of electrical impulses among them. This process is determined by the existing neuronal/fiber connections, which may be altered and or modified in the presence of neuronal stimulation or cognitive intervention. The frontal lobe information flow is critical for higher cognitive functions, thought processes, and proper emotional and behavioral responses. Improving the myelination in the frontal lobe may increase cognitive functions and reduce risks to develop symptoms of schizophrenia. The investigators propose that increasing electrical signaling in the frontal white matter in patients with schizophrenia may also enhance myelination and improve the white matter integrity. The patients with schizophrenia will receive active repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment. The rTMS with H coil is FDA-cleared for short-term smoking cessation in the general population. Its efficacy in myelination modulation has not been evaluated.