Targeted Intervention Study of DTMS on Impaired Insight in Early Psychosis

Plain-language summary

Impaired insight is a key factor in the conversion of high-risk individuals to schizophrenia, but there is a lack of targeted interventions. We found that an electroencephalogram (EEG) signal reflecting the function of self monitoring was a potential objective marker of impaired insight. And further functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) analysis showed that the functional connectivity between anterior cingulate gyrus (ACC) and medial temporal gyrus (MTG) was related to insight. Studies have shown that ACC theta oscillation is the key to self monitoring, and theta-alpha phase synchronization between frontotemporal is closely related to cognition. Therefore, this project hypothesized that targeted regulation of ACC theta oscillations could promote theta-alpha phase synchronization and functional connectivity between ACC and MTG, thereby improving patients' insight. The first-episode and high-risk subjects were recruited to detect the theta oscillation of ACC, theta-Alpha phase synchronization and functional connectivity between ACC and MTG using EEG-fMRI. Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation was introduced to regulate ACC theta oscillations. The high-risk subjects were followed up for two years. It was estimated that the theta-alpha phase synchronization of ACC-MTG and insight in the active-dTMS group were significantly improved. And the outcome of the high-risk subjects is better. The project develops neuroregulatory techniques for impaired insight of schizophrenia and is expected to provide a solution for this clinical pain point.

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