Using magnets to stimulate a particular area of the brain appears to help auditory hallucinations experienced by patients with schizophrenia. About 50% to 70% of patients with schizophrenia report having auditory hallucinations, often in the form of imaginary voices. Drugs offer little help, and these hallucinations can cause distress, disability, and leave patients unable to control their behavior. The investigators applied a low-frequency magnetic field to the left temporoparietal cortex of each patient for 4 minutes the first day, which increased by 4 minutes each day to 16 minutes on day 4. For comparison purposes, each patient also went through a "sham" stimulation, where patients had similar treatment but did not receive a magnetic field. The treatment was well tolerated, and there was significant improvement in the hallucination severity after 12 and 16 minutes of active stimulation. The severity of hallucinations was reduced in all but one patient. However, in the 8 patients classified as responders, the hallucinations returned after a period ranging from 4 days to 2 months after the treatment.

The Lancet March 25, 2000;355:1073-1075.