title: Can repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation be considered effective treatment option for negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Despite the development of second-generation antipsychotic drugs, treatment-resistant symptoms still represent a serious problem in schizophrenia. The aim of the present article was to review studies with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for negative symptoms of schizophrenia and draw conclusions for clinical decision making.
  
  
  METHODS
  Literature for this review was identified by searching MEDLINE and ISI Web of Science up to the year 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five open studies, 13 sham-controlled studies, and 2 meta-analysis and 2 review articles were included in the present paper. The effect size of the high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the left prefrontal cortex in the treatment of negative symptoms of schizophrenia is thought to be mild to moderate (Cohen d = 0.43-0.68).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the promising results of some rTMS studies, the potential of rTMS for the treatment of negative symptoms is currently relatively unclear. Large clinical studies are therefore needed, especially large multicentric studies such as depression rTMS studies.
authors.affiliation: Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic. radovan.prikryl@post.cz
authors.forename: Radovan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prikryl
authors.forename: Hana Prikrylova
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Kucerova
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012107:Research Design; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000628:therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome