Improvement of auditory hallucinations and reduction of primary auditory area's activation following TMS

Frederik L Giesel; Amit Mehndiratta; Albrecht Hempel; Eckhard Hempel; Kai R Kress; Marco Essig; Johannes Schröder

doi:10.1016/j.ejrad.2011.03.002

Improvement of auditory hallucinations and reduction of primary auditory area's activation following TMS

Eur J Radiol. 2012 Jun;81(6):1273-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2011.03.002. Epub 2011 Apr 3.

Authors

Frederik L Giesel¹, Amit Mehndiratta, Albrecht Hempel, Eckhard Hempel, Kai R Kress, Marco Essig, Johannes Schröder

Affiliation

¹ German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.

PMID: 21459534
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2011.03.002

Abstract

Background: In the present case study, improvement of auditory hallucinations following transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy was investigated with respect to activation changes of the auditory cortices.

Methods: Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), activation of the auditory cortices was assessed prior to and after a 4-week TMS series of the left superior temporal gyrus in a schizophrenic patient with medication-resistant auditory hallucinations.

Results: Hallucinations decreased slightly after the third and profoundly after the fourth week of TMS. Activation in the primary auditory area decreased, whereas activation in the operculum and insula remained stable.

Conclusions: Combination of TMS and repetitive fMRI is promising to elucidate the physiological changes induced by TMS.

Publication types

Case Reports
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Auditory Cortex / physiopathology*
Hallucinations / physiopathology*
Hallucinations / therapy*
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Schizophrenia / physiopathology*
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / methods*
Treatment Outcome
Young Adult