Applying small direct electrical currents to the brain over five days reduces negative symptoms of schizophrenia for up to 12 weeks, according to a small clinical trial.

In the double-blinded trial, known as STARTS, 100 people with long-term schizophrenia were allocated either to transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of 2mA for 20 minutes twice-daily for five days, or to a sham treatment using the same device.

All took their usual antipsychotic medication throughout the trial.

Six weeks after the intervention, patients receiving the current had a mean reduction of 4.5 points on the PANSS negative symptoms subscale score (PANSS: Positive and Negative Syndromes Scale of 7-49, with higher scores being more severe).