The effect of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on negative symptoms, serum BDNF and VEGF levels in patients with chronic schizophrenia
CHEN Yining1, LIU Jiahong1, YE Han2,LIAN Yichen2, SHI Sumi1, YANG Zhiying1, CHEN Chuchu1, SUN Xiaoxiao1, PAN Anle1.
1.Department of Psychiatry, the Affiliated Kangning Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorder, Wenzhou 325000, China; 2.School of Psychiatry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
Abstract：Objective: To investigate the impact of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
(rTMS) on negative symptoms, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) in patients with chronic schizophrenia, and to further analyze the relationship between negative symptom improvement and changes in BDNF and VEGF levels during the treatment of rTMS. Methods: Sixty patients with chronic schizophrenia hospitalized in the Affiliated Kangning Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from January 2018 to October 2022 were recruited and randomly assigned, according to their serial number, into a real stimulation group and a sham stimulation group with 30 cases in each. The positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) was used to assess the mental symptoms of the patients before treatment and 24 weeks after treatment, and meanwhile serum BDNF and VEGF were detected. Results: After 24 weeks of treatment, the real stimulation group exhibited lower scores of positive and negative symptom and higher serum levels of BDNF and VEGF (P<0.05), compared with sham stimulation group. The real stimulation group demonstrated significantly higher score difference of positive and negative symptom, as well as serum BDNF and VEGF levels, compared with the sham stimulation group (P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis revealed that there was significant positive correlation between the changes in serum BDNF levels and negative symptom scores in the real stimulation group(r=0.478, P<0.01) after treatment. In addition, linear regression analysis demonstrated the difference of serum BDNF levels had a statistically significant effect on the difference of symptom scores (β=0.457, t=2.536, P<0.05) in real stimulation group after treatment. Conclusion: The improvement of negative symptoms in patients with chronic schizophrenia following high-frequency rTMS may be associated with changes in serum BDNF levels
