Scientists Say Goodbye To "voices In The Head" - Opinions

At the ECNP conference in Paris on September 5, lead researcher and professor at the University of Cannes, Sonia Dolphus, presented the results of a clinical trial that not only detects specific areas of the brain responsible for “voices in the head” in schizophrenic patients, but also offers effective treatment for these auditory verbal hallucinations.

“This is the first controlled study in the world to show how effective the therapeutic effect of high frequency magnetic impulses can be on the exact area of the patient's brain that hears the“voices,”says Sonia Dolfus.

Schizophrenia has different symptoms (hallucinations, confusion in thoughts, etc.), but 70% of patients suffer from auditory verbal hallucinations. Scientists suggested that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) - stimulation of neurons in the brain with an alternating magnetic field could become a possible way to get rid of "voices".

The French researchers worked with 26 patients who received active treatment for TMS and 33 participants in the control group who received traditional treatment or a placebo. As a result of repeated examination of the subjects after two weeks (two treatment sessions per day), it was found that in 34.6% of patients treated with TMS, auditory hallucinations decreased by 30%. Consequently, the hypothesis of scientists regarding the method of treatment was confirmed.

But it is also important to note that using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), therapeutic impulses were directed to specific areas of the brain in the temporal lobe, which is associated with the tongue (intersection of the projection of the ascending branch of the left lateral sulcus and the left superior temporal sulcus). Consequently, the experiment also revealed the exact area of the brain that is responsible for the appearance of "voices in the head."