Efficacy of Hi-tACS for Schizophrenia Negative Symptoms

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effects and short-term and long-term efficacy of high-intensity transcranial alternating current stimulation (Hi-tACS) on negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Methods: A randomized controlled design was used, 60 schizophrenic patients who met the enrollment criteria were randomly assigned to either the Hi-tACS intervention group or the sham stimulation control group. Both groups continued their regular medication regimen. The intervention group received continuous current stimulation, while the control group received only 40 seconds of current stimulation per session. The treatment was administered twice daily (morning and afternoon) from Monday to Friday for 2 weeks, with each session lasting 40 minutes, for a total of 20 sessions. Negative symptoms, cognitive function, social function, and quality of life were assessed at baseline, 2 weeks, and 3 months post-intervention. The primary outcome will be clinical symptoms, the secondary outcome will be the social function and quality of life, and the process measures included social cognition and neurocognition.