A Quebec advance in the treatment of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is one of the most stigmatized and inconvenient mental illnesses.

Although some of its symptoms. Moreover, called “positive” – ​​such as hallucinations or delusional ideas – are well known to the general public, others remain in the shadows. Consequently, And this, often both for the healthcare team and for the entourage of the person.

These symptoms are qualified as “negative”, since they underlie a decrease in normal psychological functions. Meanwhile, One can for example think of the loss of motivation. Moreover, great fatigability, a difficulty in feeling or expressing emotions, as well as important social withdrawal.

It is often these symptoms that contribute to the maintenance of long -term suffering in patients with schizophrenia. In addition, their isolation.

To date, available treatments are targeting positive than negative symptoms more. Therefore, Pharmacological approaches, although effective in positive symptoms, remain limited when it is quebec advance treatment schizophrenia necessary to act on negative symptoms.

In this context. Furthermore, mental health research is faced with a major challenge: finding innovative interventions that act where traditional approaches fail.

Treat schizophrenia, otherwise – Quebec advance treatment schizophrenia

This is precisely the ambition of a research project led by Dr. In addition, David Benrimoh and Dr. Furthermore, Lena Palaniyappan, researchers at the Douglas research center. Therefore, Their team is interested in a promising track: repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, better known as RTMS.

Already used and reputed to be treatment for depression, RTMS is a form of neuromodulation, called non -invasive. Moreover, In other words. this technique acts on the activity of certain areas of the brain using a powerful magnetic field to create a current in neurons, all without the need for surgery or pain.

It consists of applying magnetic impulses to predefined brain regions using a device placed on the scalp. This magnetic field induces a quebec advance treatment schizophrenia current of low intensity which modulates the activity of neurons in the targeted region.

In the case of depression. where negative symptoms are in the foreground, several studies have shown that this treatment could help improve the mood, energy and motivation of patients.

However, its application on negative symptoms in schizophrenia brings its share of challenges and remains an emerging technique.

An accelerated and personalized protocol – Quebec advance treatment schizophrenia

To date, scientific literature shows modest effects of RTMS on the negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

In addition, the administration of RTMS over a period of several weeks poses many technical obstacles for patients. In particular. the latter must move several times a week in order to obtain their treatment, which can have important impacts on the life of the latter. Without forgetting that it can be difficult for individuals suffering from a decrease in motivation. a lack of energy, either the negative symptoms, to quebec advance treatment schizophrenia move to the center where they receive their treatment. These challenges can abandon the treatment of RTMS.

The study of Dr. Benrimoh. Dr Palaniyappan therefore offers two major innovations: (1) Reducing the duration of treatment to only five days and (2) optimize the precision of treatment using brain imaging in order to better target the regions of the brain involved in motivation and emotion.

This accelerated. personalized protocol of RTMS will be compared to a placebo simulation, that is to say without magnetic field.

If the results are conclusive. this approach could transform the care of people living with schizophrenia by offering them a safe, well tolerated and more accessible therapeutic option.

A much wider aim

But this research project does not develop in a vacuum.

It is the result of active collaboration between three cutting -edge mental health research centers in Quebec: the Douglas research center. the Cervo Center in Quebec, and the University Institute in Mental Health in Montreal (IUSMM).

This fruitful collaboration is overseen by the Mental Health Alliance Québec (ASMQ). an initiative supported by the Quebec-Health (FRQ-S) research fund and launched in 2024 to stimulate innovation in mental health.

ASMQ is based on a simple. both ambitious conviction: it is by sharing our data, our tools, our skills and our perspectives that we can meet the complex challenges of mental health.

Mental health research now requires specialized resources, robust databases, advanced infrastructure and quebec advance treatment schizophrenia diversified expertise.

No research center alone can meet all these requirements. By focusing on the pooling of these resources, ASMQ accelerates the development of innovative treatments. It also ensures better scientific validity thanks to a sharing of access to vast and diversified samples through the province.

In total, more than 60 people collaborate in ASMQ, including around forty researchers.

Explore. understand and treat

In addition to the study of accelerated RTMS in people living with schizophrenia, two other scientific projects within ASMQ illustrate the richness of this collaboration.

The first, led by Dr. Lionel Caihol (IUSMM). assesses the effectiveness of another neuromodulation technique, transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS), which could be administered at home in people living with a limited personality disorder. This inexpensive and easily accessible approach could widen treatment options for people living in distant regions.

A second project, led by Dr. Sébastien Brodeur (CERVO), analyzes more than quebec advance treatment schizophrenia ten years of clinical data on the use of RTMS in Quebec. The objective is to better understand the real impact of such a technique in practice. beyond clinical trials, and to guide treatment decisions.

In each of these projects. partner patients, partner patients, that is to say people with lived experience in the health system and who actively contribute to research, and students with higher cycles, including the authors of this article, actively participate in the research process.

This intersectoral collaboration makes it possible not only to anchor projects in the lived reality of the persons concerned. but also to form a scientific succession sensitive to clinical issues.

ASMQ thus embodies a new research model in mental health, even more anchored on collaboration, openness and innovation.

By focusing on collective work, it promotes real transfer of knowledge to care.

But above all. it gives shape to a promise: that quebec advance treatment schizophrenia of more effective, more accessible and more human treatments for people composing with a mental health disorder.