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Long-term maintenance therapy for major depressive disorder with rTMS
John P O'Reardon1, Kate H Blumner, Andrew D Peshek
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Ste. 4005, 3535 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. oreardon@mail.med.upenn.edu
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
|January 13, 2006
Summary
Long-term maintenance therapy using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) showed sustained antidepressant benefits in some patients with major depressive disorder. This open-label study found rTMS to be a safe and potentially effective treatment option.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Major depressive disorder (MDD) requires effective long-term treatment strategies.
- Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) shows promise for acute antidepressant effects.
- Limited data exist on the long-term maintenance of rTMS for MDD.
Observation:
- This study investigated long-term maintenance treatment with rTMS in 10 adults with MDD.
- Participants received rTMS over the left prefrontal cortex for 6 months to 6 years, averaging 1-2 sessions weekly.
- Treatment parameters included 10 Hz frequency and 2000 pulses per session.
Findings:
- Seven out of 10 subjects experienced marked or moderate sustained benefits.
- Three patients maintained benefits without additional antidepressant medication.
- No serious adverse events were reported, with zero seizures across 1831 sessions.
Implications:
- Maintenance rTMS may be a safe and effective option for select patients with unipolar depression.
- These findings support further research into the long-term efficacy and safety of rTMS.
- rTMS offers a potential non-pharmacological approach for managing chronic or recurrent depression.