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Neuronavigated rTMS for Treatment-Resistant Auditory Hallucinations (fuNEEG)

23 de septiembre de 2026 actualizado por: Psychiatric University Hospital, Zurich

Functional Neuronavigated EEG and TMS-treatment of Chronic Acoustic Hallucinations

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH), such as hearing voices in the absence of an external sound source, are a common and distressing symptom of schizophrenia. In some patients, hallucinations persist despite treatment with antipsychotic medication. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that may reduce auditory hallucinations by decreasing activity in brain regions involved in auditory and language processing.

This randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study will investigate whether individualized, neuronavigated inhibitory rTMS can reduce persistent auditory verbal hallucinations. Forty adults with medication-resistant auditory hallucinations will be randomly assigned to receive either active rTMS or sham stimulation.

For each participant, the stimulation target in the primary auditory cortex will be individually identified using electroencephalography (EEG), acoustic evoked potentials, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based neuronavigation. Participants will receive two rTMS sessions per day for five consecutive days. The severity of auditory hallucinations will be assessed before and after treatment and at a 28-day follow-up.

The study will also investigate whether treatment is associated with changes in brain activity and functional connectivity measured by EEG, including changes in the P300 event-related potential.

Descripción general del estudio

Estado

Reclutamiento

Condiciones

Intervención / Tratamiento

Tipo de estudio

Intervencionista

Inscripción (Estimado)

40

Fase

  • No aplica

Contactos y Ubicaciones

Esta sección proporciona los datos de contacto de quienes realizan el estudio e información sobre dónde se lleva a cabo este estudio.

Estudio Contacto

  • Nombre: Tobias Welt, MD
  • Número de teléfono: 0041 58 389 93 40
  • Correo electrónico: tobias.welt@pukzh.ch

Copia de seguridad de contactos de estudio

  • Nombre: Sebastian Olbrich, Prof. Dr. med.
  • Número de teléfono: 0041 58 384 26 37
  • Correo electrónico: sebastian.olbrich@pukzh.ch

Ubicaciones de estudio

  • Suiza
      • Zurich, Suiza, 8032
        • Reclutamiento
        • Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich
        • Contacto:
        • Contacto:
          • Tobias Welt, Dr. med.
          • Número de teléfono: 0041 58 384 93 40
          • Correo electrónico: tobias.welt@pukzh.ch
        • Investigador principal:
          • Tobias Welt, Dr. med.

Criterios de participación

Los investigadores buscan personas que se ajusten a una determinada descripción, denominada criterio de elegibilidad. Algunos ejemplos de estos criterios son el estado de salud general de una persona o tratamientos previos.

Criterio de elegibilidad

Edades elegibles para estudiar

18 años a 65 años (Adulto, Adulto Mayor)

Acepta Voluntarios Saludables

No

Géneros elegibles para el estudio

Todos

Descripción

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Written informed consent provided prior to participation

  • Age 18 to 65 years

  • Medication-resistant auditory hallucinations, defined as:

    • At least two adequate trials of antipsychotic medication
    • At least one of these trials with an atypical antipsychotic medication
    • At least five episodes of auditory hallucinations per day during the preceding month
    • Stable antipsychotic medication for at least 6 weeks

  • Current treatment at the Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich (PUK), either in an outpatient clinic, day clinic, or inpatient ward

  • Sufficient knowledge of German to understand the study procedures and assessments

  • Ability to follow study procedures

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Contraindications to TMS treatment, including cochlear implants, metallic devices close to the TMS coil, history of stroke, head injury, or seizures/epilepsy
  • History of epileptic convulsive seizures or epileptiform potentials in previous EEG examinations
  • TMS treatment within the 3 months preceding study inclusion
  • Known severe hypersensitivity or severe adverse reaction to TMS
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Intention to become pregnant during the study
  • Major somatic comorbidities, such as renal failure, hepatic dysfunction, heart failure, or cardiovascular disease
  • Current treatment with any drug that lowers the seizure threshold
  • Known or suspected non-compliance, drug abuse, or alcohol abuse
  • Vulnerable subjects (children, pregnant women, elderly persons)
  • Inability to follow study procedures, for example due to language problems, psychological disorder, dementia, or other conditions interfering with participation
  • Participation in another study involving investigational treatment within the 30 days preceding study inclusion or during the present study
  • Current electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
  • Previous enrollment in the present study
  • Investigator, family member of the investigator, employee, or other dependent person
  • Contraindications or limitations related to the medical device as specified in the instructions for use

Plan de estudios

Esta sección proporciona detalles del plan de estudio, incluido cómo está diseñado el estudio y qué mide el estudio.

¿Cómo está diseñado el estudio?

Detalles de diseño

  • Propósito principal: Tratamiento
  • Asignación: Aleatorizado
  • Modelo Intervencionista: Asignación paralela
  • Enmascaramiento: Cuadruplicar

Armas e Intervenciones

Grupo de participantes/brazo
Intervención / Tratamiento
Experimental: Active rTMS

Participants receive individualized, neuronavigated inhibitory rTMS targeting the primary auditory cortex. The stimulation target is individually determined using EEG-based auditory evoked potentials and MRI-based neuronavigation. Treatment is administered twice daily for five consecutive days.
Dispositivo: Neuronavigated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)

Individualized neuronavigated inhibitory rTMS is applied to the primary auditory cortex. The individual stimulation target is determined using EEG-based auditory evoked potentials and MRI-based neuronavigation. Stimulation is delivered at 1 Hz on five consecutive days, with a total of 12,000 magnetic pulses administered over the treatment course.
Comparador falso: Sham rTMS

Participants undergo the same treatment schedule and neuronavigation procedures as the active rTMS group using a sham coil that is visually and acoustically similar to the active coil but does not deliver active magnetic stimulation.
Dispositivo: Sham repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)

Sham stimulation is administered using the same neuronavigation procedures and treatment schedule as active rTMS. A sham coil visually and acoustically resembling the active coil is used but does not deliver active magnetic stimulation.

¿Qué mide el estudio?

Medidas de resultado primarias

Medida de resultado
Medida Descripción
Periodo de tiempo
Change From Baseline in Auditory Vocal Hallucination Rating Scale (AVHRS) Score Immediately After Treatment
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period

Change from baseline in auditory hallucination severity assessed with the Auditory Vocal Hallucination Rating Scale (AVHRS), a structured interview assessing multiple characteristics of auditory hallucinations, including frequency, duration, location, loudness, negative content, distress, interference with daily life, perceived control, anxiety, and interference with thinking.
Baseline to immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period

Medidas de resultado secundarias

Medida de resultado
Medida Descripción
Periodo de tiempo
Change From Baseline in Auditory Vocal Hallucination Rating Scale (AVHRS) Score at Day 28
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to Day 28 after completion of treatment

Change from baseline in auditory hallucination severity assessed with the Auditory Vocal Hallucination Rating Scale (AVHRS), a structured interview assessing multiple characteristics of auditory hallucinations, including frequency, duration, location, loudness, negative content, distress, interference with daily life, perceived control, anxiety, and interference with thinking.
Baseline to Day 28 after completion of treatment
Change From Baseline in PSYRATS Auditory Hallucinations Subscale Score Immediately After Treatment
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period

Change from baseline in the Auditory Hallucinations subscale of the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS). The subscale consists of 11 items scored from 0 to 4, yielding a total score from 0 to 44. Higher scores indicate greater auditory hallucination severity.
Baseline to immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period
Change From Baseline in PSYRATS Delusions Subscale Score Immediately After Treatment
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period

Change from baseline in the Delusions subscale of the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS). The subscale consists of 6 items scored from 0 to 4, yielding a total score from 0 to 24. Higher scores indicate greater delusion severity.
Baseline to immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period
Change From Baseline in PSYRATS Combined Score Immediately After Treatment
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period

Change from baseline in the combined Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS) score, calculated as the sum of the Auditory Hallucinations and Delusions subscale scores. The combined score ranges from 0 to 68, with higher scores indicating greater overall psychotic symptom severity.
Baseline to immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period
Change From Baseline in PSYRATS Auditory Hallucinations Subscale Score at Day 28
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to Day 28 after completion of treatment

Change from baseline in the Auditory Hallucinations subscale of the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS). The subscale consists of 11 items scored from 0 to 4, yielding a total score from 0 to 44. Higher scores indicate greater auditory hallucination severity.
Baseline to Day 28 after completion of treatment
Change From Baseline in PSYRATS Delusions Subscale Score at Day 28
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to Day 28 after completion of treatment

Change from baseline in the Delusions subscale of the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS). The subscale consists of 6 items scored from 0 to 4, yielding a total score from 0 to 24. Higher scores indicate greater delusion severity.
Baseline to Day 28 after completion of treatment
Change From Baseline in PSYRATS Combined Score at Day 28
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to Day 28 after completion of treatment

Change from baseline in the combined Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS) score, calculated as the sum of the Auditory Hallucinations and Delusions subscale scores. The combined score ranges from 0 to 68, with higher scores indicating greater overall psychotic symptom severity.
Baseline to Day 28 after completion of treatment
Change From Baseline in Auditory Vocal Hallucination Rating Scale Questionnaire (AVHRS-Q) Total Score Immediately After Treatment
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period

Change from baseline in the total score of the Auditory Vocal Hallucination Rating Scale Questionnaire (AVHRS-Q), a self-report measure assessing characteristics and severity of auditory vocal hallucinations. Higher scores indicate greater severity of auditory vocal hallucinations.
Baseline to immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period
Change From Baseline in Auditory Vocal Hallucination Rating Scale Questionnaire (AVHRS-Q) Total Score at Day 28
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to Day 28 after completion of treatment

Change from baseline in the total score of the Auditory Vocal Hallucination Rating Scale Questionnaire (AVHRS-Q), a self-report measure assessing characteristics and severity of auditory vocal hallucinations. Higher scores indicate greater severity of auditory vocal hallucinations.
Baseline to Day 28 after completion of treatment
Change From Baseline in Self-assessment of Auditory Verbal Hallucinations (SAVH) Total Score Immediately After Treatment
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period

Change from baseline in the total score of the Self-assessment of Auditory Verbal Hallucinations (SAVH), a 9-item self-report measure assessing auditory verbal hallucinations during the preceding week. Each item is scored from 0 to 5, yielding a total score from 0 to 45. Higher scores indicate greater severity of auditory verbal hallucinations.
Baseline to immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period
Change From Baseline in Self-assessment of Auditory Verbal Hallucinations (SAVH) Total Score at Day 28
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to Day 28 after completion of treatment

Change from baseline in the total score of the Self-assessment of Auditory Verbal Hallucinations (SAVH), a 9-item self-report measure assessing auditory verbal hallucinations during the preceding week. Each item is scored from 0 to 5, yielding a total score from 0 to 45. Higher scores indicate greater severity of auditory verbal hallucinations.
Baseline to Day 28 after completion of treatment
Change From Baseline in Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) Score Immediately After Treatment
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period

Change from baseline in illness severity assessed using the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) scale. CGI-S is rated from 1 to 7, with higher scores indicating greater illness severity.
Baseline to immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period
Change From Baseline in Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) Score at Day 28
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to Day 28 after completion of treatment

Change from baseline in illness severity assessed using the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) scale. CGI-S is rated from 1 to 7, with higher scores indicating greater illness severity.
Baseline to Day 28 after completion of treatment
Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) Score Immediately After Treatment
Periodo de tiempo: Immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period

Overall change in clinical condition assessed using the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scale. CGI-I is rated from 1 to 7, where 1 indicates very much improved, 4 indicates no change, and 7 indicates very much worse.
Immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period
Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) Score at Day 28
Periodo de tiempo: Day 28 after completion of treatment

Overall change in clinical condition assessed using the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scale. CGI-I is rated from 1 to 7, where 1 indicates very much improved, 4 indicates no change, and 7 indicates very much worse.
Day 28 after completion of treatment
Change From Baseline in Auditory P300 Parameters Immediately After Treatment
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period

Change from baseline in auditory P300 event-related potential parameters measured by EEG during an auditory Oddball paradigm. P300 amplitude and latency elicited by target stimuli will be evaluated and compared between baseline and post-treatment recordings.
Baseline to immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period
Change From Baseline in Auditory P300 Parameters at Day 28
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to Day 28 after completion of treatment

Change from baseline in auditory P300 event-related potential parameters measured by EEG during an auditory Oddball paradigm. P300 amplitude and latency elicited by target stimuli will be evaluated and compared between baseline and Day-28 recordings.
Baseline to Day 28 after completion of treatment
Change From Baseline in EEG Functional Connectivity Immediately After Treatment
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period

Change from baseline in functional brain connectivity assessed using EEG and source localization with low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA). Treatment-related changes in functional connectivity between cortical brain regions will be evaluated by comparing baseline and post-treatment EEG recordings.
Baseline to immediately after completion of the 5-day treatment period
Change From Baseline in EEG Functional Connectivity at Day 28
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to Day 28 after completion of treatment

Change from baseline in functional brain connectivity assessed using EEG and source localization with low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA). Treatment-related changes in functional connectivity between cortical brain regions will be evaluated by comparing baseline and Day-28 EEG recordings.
Baseline to Day 28 after completion of treatment

Colaboradores e Investigadores

Aquí es donde encontrará personas y organizaciones involucradas en este estudio.

Patrocinador

Psychiatric University Hospital, Zurich

Investigadores

  • Director de estudio: Sebastian Olbrich, Prof. Dr. med., Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik Zürich

Fechas de registro del estudio

Estas fechas rastrean el progreso del registro del estudio y los envíos de resultados resumidos a ClinicalTrials.gov. Los registros del estudio y los resultados informados son revisados ​​por la Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina (NLM) para asegurarse de que cumplan con los estándares de control de calidad específicos antes de publicarlos en el sitio web público.

Fechas importantes del estudio

Inicio del estudio (Actual)

11 de junio de 2026

Finalización primaria (Estimado)

1 de noviembre de 2028

Finalización del estudio (Estimado)

1 de noviembre de 2028

Fechas de registro del estudio

Enviado por primera vez

23 de septiembre de 2026

Primero enviado que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad

23 de septiembre de 2026

Publicado por primera vez (Actual)

2 de octubre de 2026

Actualizaciones de registros de estudio

Última actualización publicada (Actual)

2 de octubre de 2026

Última actualización enviada que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad

23 de septiembre de 2026

Última verificación

1 de septiembre de 2026

Más información

Términos relacionados con este estudio

Palabras clave

Términos MeSH relevantes adicionales

Otros números de identificación del estudio

  • fuNEEG
  • Bangerter-Rhyner-Foundation (Otro número de subvención/financiamiento: Gottfried & Julia Bangerter-Rhyner-Stiftung)

Plan de datos de participantes individuales (IPD)

¿Planea compartir datos de participantes individuales (IPD)?

NO

Descripción del plan IPD

Individual participant data are not planned to be made publicly available. Potential reuse of pseudonymized data may be considered in accordance with participant consent and applicable ethical and data protection requirements.

Información sobre medicamentos y dispositivos, documentos del estudio

Estudia un producto farmacéutico regulado por la FDA de EE. UU.

No

Estudia un producto de dispositivo regulado por la FDA de EE. UU.

No

Esta información se obtuvo directamente del sitio web clinicaltrials.gov sin cambios. Si tiene alguna solicitud para cambiar, eliminar o actualizar los detalles de su estudio, comuníquese con register@clinicaltrials.gov. Tan pronto como se implemente un cambio en clinicaltrials.gov, también se actualizará automáticamente en nuestro sitio web. .

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