Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026

08:20
MRI-guided dmPFC-rTMS as a Treatment for Treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder
Published on: August 11, 2015
A double-blind placebo-controlled study of rolipram in depressed in-patients
M W Rowlands1, T Silverstone, J C Cookson
1Medical College of St Bartholomews Hospital.
Journal of Psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
|January 28, 2012
Abstract:
In a double-blind study, rolipram, a new phosphodiesterase inhibitor, was com pared to placebo in 20 hospitalized depressed patients. There was a high rate of non- completion (11 out of 20) at 28 days. No difference was found in the clinical improvement between the two groups.
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