Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 26, 2026
MRI-guided dmPFC-rTMS as a Treatment for Treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder
Published on: August 11, 2015
Neuromodulation of Attentional Control in Major Depression: A Pilot DeepTMS Study
Jodie Naim-Feil1, John L Bradshaw2, Dianne M Sheppard3
1Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Central Clinical School, The Alfred and Monash University, Prahran, VIC, Australia; School of Psychological Sciences and Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia; Department of Neurobiology, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (deepTMS) targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex improved attention in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) patients. Both immediate and long-term deepTMS sessions demonstrated significant attentional recovery in MDD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Neuromodulation
Background:
- Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is associated with significant attentional control deficits.
- Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (deepTMS) offers a noninvasive method to modulate brain activity and neuroplasticity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of high-frequency repetitive deepTMS applied to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in ameliorating attentional deficits in MDD patients.
- To examine both acute and long-term effects of deepTMS on sustained attention and cognitive inhibition.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-one MDD patients and 26 control subjects (CS) underwent baseline assessments including the Beck Depression Inventory and the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART).
- MDD patients received either a single deepTMS session or 4 weeks of daily high-frequency (20 Hz) repetitive deepTMS to the DLPFC.
- CS were readministered the SART twice to control for practice effects.
Main Results:
- MDD patients demonstrated deficits in sustained attention and cognitive inhibition compared to CS.
- Both acute and long-term high-frequency repetitive deepTMS significantly improved sustained attention in MDD patients.
- The improvement in attention after acute deepTMS correlated with the attentional recovery observed after long-term treatment.
Conclusions:
- High-frequency repetitive deepTMS to the DLPFC is effective in improving sustained attention deficits in MDD.
- The attentional benefits of deepTMS appear to be independent of its antidepressant effects.
- DeepTMS represents a promising therapeutic approach for cognitive impairments in Major Depressive Disorder.
