tDCS for Cognitive Impairment Associated With Recent-onset Schizophrenia

"The study intervention consists of ten 20-minutes sessions of active or sham tDCS. Sessions will be delivered twice daily and separated by at least 2 hours for 5 consecutive weekdays. The electric current will be generated by an electric stimulator (class IIa medical device). During the entire tDCS session, the subject is at rest, comfortably seated in a chair in a quiet room. A clinician will be present for the entire session duration. The current will be applied via a pair of rubber electrodes (35 cm²) placed on the surface of the scalp. The anode will be placed over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The cathode will be placed over the left auditory cortex. The stimulation parameters will be set at 2-mA for 20 minutes, with a progressive increase during the first 30-sec and a progressive decrease during the last 30-sec of each session. The impedance of the applied current is monitored by the stimulator during each session."