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Updated: Jul 3, 2026
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Treating Clinical Depression with Repetitive Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Using the Brainsway H1-coil
Published on: October 4, 2016
[Transcranial magnetic stimulation for comorbid depression in anorexia]
S Kamolz1, M M Richter, A Schmidtke
1Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie, Klinikum der Bayerischen Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Füchslein Str. 15, 97080, Würzburg, Deutschland.
Der Nervenarzt
|July 29, 2008
Summary
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) effectively treated depression in a patient with anorexia nervosa. Maintenance rTMS led to sustained remission, suggesting its therapeutic potential for comorbid depression in anorexia.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Anorexia nervosa frequently presents with comorbid depressive symptoms.
- Psychopharmacotherapy may be contraindicated in underweight patients with anorexia nervosa due to physical condition.
- Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) offers a non-pharmacological neuromodulation approach.
Observation:
- A 24-year-old female patient diagnosed with anorexia nervosa exhibited significant depressive symptomatology.
- The patient's poor physical condition precluded the use of traditional psychopharmacotherapy for depression.
- rTMS was initiated as an alternative treatment modality for the patient's comorbid depression.
Findings:
- Initial rTMS cycles led to a significant, albeit temporary, improvement in depressive symptoms.
- Depressive symptoms recurred within two weeks after the initial rTMS cycles.
- A third rTMS cycle followed by a maintenance protocol resulted in complete remission of depression.
Implications:
- rTMS demonstrates potential as a viable treatment option for managing comorbid depression in patients with anorexia nervosa.
- This case highlights the efficacy of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques in a population often excluded from standard pharmacological treatments.
- Further research into rTMS protocols for anorexia nervosa with comorbid depression is warranted.
