Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effects of cerebellar vermis theta-burst stimulation (TBS)-patterned repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in patients with chronic schizophrenia (CSZ). METHODS: A total of 114 CSZ patients admitted to the hospital from February 2024 to July 2025 were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups (n=57 each). Both groups received conventional antipsychotic treatment, while the interventional group additionally underwent cerebellar vermis TBS-patterned rTMS, and the control group received sham stimulation. The treatment lasted for 4 weeks. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) score, Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP) score, electrophysiological indexes of brain, MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) test and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Following the intervention, both groups exhibited significant reductions in negative symptoms, general symptoms, and total PANSS scores, with the intervention group demonstrating significantly lower scores than the control group (P < 0.05). Similarly, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) scores decreased and PSP scores increased in both groups, again with more favorable outcomes in the intervention group (P < 0.05). Neuroelectrophysiological measures (N2-P3 latency, N2-P3 amplitude, P300 latency and amplitude) and cognitive domains (information processing speed, working memory, attention/vigilance, and social cognition) improved in both groups, with significantly greater improvements observed in the intervention group compared to controls (P < 0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions did not differ significantly between groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Cerebellar vermis TBS-patterned rTMS can effectively stimulate neural activity in CSZ patients, alleviate negative and general symptoms, improve disease control, enhance cognitive and social functioning, and demonstrate high safety.