Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Cigarette Smoking in Patients with Schizophrenia

BACKGROUND The high smoking rate among patients with schizophrenia is an important public health problem, and researchers have been studying how to change the status quo. OBJECTIVE We investigated the effects of high frequency (10Hz) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on the amount of cigarette smoking in patients with schizophrenia. METHOD This study enrolled 37 male patients with schizophrenia who were at a stable stage of treatment. Patients were randomly divided into a treatment group (n=19) and a control group (n=18). The treatment group received repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the left prefrontal dorsolateral cortex (DLPFC), and the control group received placebo treatment. The number of cigarettes smoked were recorded at 7 days before treatment, during the course of treatment (i.e. for 21 days), and 3 weeks after treatment had ended. Assessments using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) were applied before and after treatment. RESULT Compared to the control group, the number of cigarettes smoked in the treatment group showed a statistically significant reduction in the first week after treatment. However, there was no significant correlation between the scores on PANSS, WCST and MADRS and the number of cigarettes smoked before and after treatment in both groups. DISCUSSION High frequency (10Hz) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on the left prefrontal cortex can reduce the number of cigarettes smoked in patients with schizophrenia.