Table 1. Clinical and Demographic Characteristics of the Samplea.
| Characteristic | tDCS Group, Mean (SD) | |
|---|---|---|
| Active (n = 50) | Sham (n = 50) | |
| Age, y | 34.6 (8.4) | 35.9 (10.1) |
| Women, No. (%) | 9 (18) | 11 (22) |
| Years of study | 11.6 (3.1) | 10.5 (3.0) |
| Unemployed, No. (%) | 39 (78) | 38 (76) |
| Not married, No. (%) | 40 (80) | 41 (82) |
| Self-declared white race, No. (%) | 15 (30) | 12 (24) |
| Smoker, No. (%) | 15 (30) | 14 (28) |
| Duration of disease, y | 14.2 (8.1) | 14.1 (8.7) |
| No. of hospitalizations | 0.93 (1.52) | 1.84 (2.07) |
| Previous clozapine use, No. (%) | 19 (38) | 19 (38) |
| Treatment-resistant schizophrenia, No. (%)b | 38 (76) | 35 (70) |
| Ultra–treatment-resistant schizophrenia, No. (%)c | 24 (48) | 20 (40) |
| Haloperidol dose equivalents, mg/dd | 9.53 (4.41) | 10.38 (7.93) |
| ECT, No. (%) | 2 (4) | 5 (10) |
| PANSS score | ||
| Positive symptoms | 14.26 (4.27) | 14.24 (4.09) |
| Negative symptoms | 25.00 (3.93) | 25.10 (3.44) |
| General symptoms | 34.36 (10.21) | 34.58 (8.66) |
| Total symptoms | 73.62 (15.76) | 73.92 (13.36) |
| PANSS FSNS score | 24.22 (5.13) | 24.22 (3.56) |
| CDSS score | 2.32 (3.77) | 2.26 (3.15) |
| AHRS score | 9.44 (11.91) | 7.66 (12.74) |
| GAF score | 46.47 (12.40) | 46.40 (11.04) |
| SANS score | 60.12 (13.80) | 62.32 (11.11) |
| Patients, No. (%) | ||
| With no auditory hallucinations per AHRS score | 29 (58) | 35 (70) |
| With no major depressive episode per CDSS score | 43 (86) | 45 (90) |
Abbreviations: AHRS, Auditory Hallucinations Rating Scale; CDSS, Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia; ECT, electroconvulsive therapy; FSNS, Factor Score for Negative Symptoms; GAF, Global Assessment of Functioning; PANSS, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale; SANS, Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms; tDCS, transcranial direct current stimulation.
There were no statistically significant differences between groups, except number of hospitalizations, which was higher in the sham group.
Treatment-resistant schizophrenia was defined as lack of satisfactory clinical response to treatment with at least 2 antipsychotic drugs from different groups used with therapeutic doses and for 6 or more weeks.
Ultra–treatment-resistant schizophrenia was defined as those with treatment-resistant disease who did not respond to at least 6 months of clozapine in dosages of 300 mg/d or more.32,46
Haloperidol dose equivalents was defined per Andreasen et al.43