Theta-burst RTMS Improved Depression

Theta-burst stimulation is a type of repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) currently being investigated for the treatment of severe depression. In rTMS a magnetic pulse applied to the scalp causes neurons to fire. A recent study of 60 patients by Cheng-Ta Li et al. published in the journal Brain compared continuous, intermittent, and combined theta-burst treatment with a sham treatment. While all four groups of patients with treatment-resistant depression improved, indicating some placebo effect, patients in the group who received intermittent stimulation over the left prefrontal cortex and those who received a combination of intermittent left prefrontal cortex stimulation and continuous right prefrontal stimulation showed the greatest improvement in their depression. Those patients with greater prior treatment resistance responded less well across all of the treatments.

Editor’s Note: Studies continue to explore the optimum parameters for rTMS, but large studies and meta-analyses continue to show that the treatment has positive effects in depression.

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