Low‐frequency rTMS induces modifications in cortical structural connectivity ‐ functional connectivity coupling in schizophrenia patients with auditory verbal hallucinations

Abstract

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) are distinctive clinical manifestations of schizophrenia. While low‐frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has demonstrated potential in mitigating AVH, the precise mechanisms by which it operates remain obscure. This study aimed to investigate alternations in structural connectivity and functional connectivity (SC‐FC) coupling among schizophrenia patients with AVH prior to and following treatment with 1 Hz rTMS that specifically targets the left temporoparietal junction. Initially, patients exhibited significantly reduced macroscopic whole brain level SC‐FC coupling compared to healthy controls. Notably, SC‐FC coupling increased significantly across multiple networks, including the somatomotor, dorsal attention, ventral attention, frontoparietal control, and default mode networks, following rTMS treatment. Significant alternations in SC‐FC coupling were noted in critical nodes comprising the somatomotor network and the default mode network, such as the precentral gyrus and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, respectively. The alternations in SC‐FC coupling exhibited a correlation with the amelioration of clinical symptom. The results of our study illuminate the intricate relationship between white matter structures and neuronal activity in patients who are receiving low‐frequency rTMS. This advances our understanding of the foundational mechanisms underlying rTMS treatment for AVH.