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T78

COMPARISON OF THE EFFICACY OF NEUROMODULATION THERAPIES IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND NETWORK META-ANALYSIS

Rajasumi Rajalingam — Samantha Dorrance2, Marissa Khury3, Daryna Hodgson1, Vinay Patel1, Aaryan Kapoor4, Christine Sun5, Aiswarya Lakshmi Nandakumar6, Eric Achtyes1 1Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, 2Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson’s Disease and Morton and Gloria Shulman Movement Disorders Clinic, University Health Network, 3Queen’s University, 4Tbilisi State Medical University, 5Queen's University School of Medicine, 6Nevada Mental Health,

2026 ASCP Annual Meeting

Background

Schizophrenia is a chronic and disabling psychiatric disorder affecting approximately 1% of the global population. Although antipsychotic medications are the primary treatment for schizophrenia, many patients experience persistent symptoms or side effects resulting in non-adherence. Neuromodulation therapies including electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), theta-burst stimulation (TBS), transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS), magnetic seizure therapy (MST), and deep brain stimulation (DBS) have emerged as potential adjunctive or alternative interventions, however, their relative efficacy remains unclear.

Objective

To compare the efficacy of neuromodulation therapies for schizophrenia using a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Methods

This systematic review and network meta-analysis follows PRISMA-NMA guidelines and is registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251237506). PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, APA PsycINFO, Web of Science, and CINAHL were searched from inception through November 9, 2025. Eligible studies include English-language randomized controlled trials evaluating neuromodulation therapies as monotherapy or adjunctive treatment in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The primary outcome is change in overall symptom severity measured using validated psychiatric rating scales. Secondary outcomes include changes in positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive functioning. Risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2 tool, and certainty of evidence will be evaluated using the CINeMA framework. A frequentist random-effects network metaanalysis will be conducted using the netmeta package in R.

Results

The initial search yielded 3,839 unique articles after removal of duplicates. Title and abstract screening, full-text review, and data extraction are currently in progress. Final comparative efficacy estimates and treatment rankings will be presented at the 2026 ASCP Annual Meeting.

Conclusions

This study will provide the first comprehensive comparative synthesis of neuromodulation therapies for schizophrenia, informing clinical decision-making and future research.