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Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been tried for negative symptoms of schizophrenia, and a few meta-analyses have shown some effects, with subanalyses suggesting greater efficacy when the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is stimulated for ≥3 weeks. In a two-site, double-blind, randomized, partially industry-funded study, researchers examined the effects of 3 weeks of 10-Hz rTMS or sham rTMS of the bilateral DLPFC in 32 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (81% male). All patients had moderate negative symptoms and were taking antipsychotics (including 12 patients on clozapine and 8 on antipsychotic polypharmacy).
Despite randomization, the sham rTMS group was younger than the active-treatme…