Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Tic Disorder: A Quick Review

Repetitive transcranial megnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been widely used in patients with psychiatric disorders. Previous studies revealed good efficacy of rTMS for patients with obsession-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tic disorder (TD). OCD and TD are closely related and considered to etiologically overlap. Patients with the co-occurrence of OCD and TD are often identified. Therefore, we conducted a quick review of rTMS for the treatment of these two diseases to compare the similarities and differences of rTMS for OCD and TD, which might provide an indication for the treatment of the co-occurrence of OCD and TD. We searched articles published in PubMed, Wanfang, and Web of Science from January 2001 to January 2022. Both inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria were developed to identify the relevant included studies. Data on the frequency, target area, sample size, and number of males, especially the rTMS treatment procedure or parameters, were extracted in the included studies. We included 26 studies on OCD and 12 studies on TD in this quick review. A total of 996 participants were included. Based on the review of the included studies, lowfrequency rTMS might be used more than high-frequency rTMS, and the supplementary motor area (SMA) might show better efficacy than the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in OCD. For patients with TD, low-frequency rTMS located in the SMA might show good efficacy both in OCD and TD. Our quick review elaborated the treatment efficacy of rTMS for both patients with OCD and those with TD. It seems that the SMA is an important target choice for both OCD and TD patients. Low-frequency rTMS might be used more than high-frequency rTMS in both OCD and TD patients. In future studies, we should explore more about the efficacy of rTMS for patients with co-occurring OCD and TD, especially for the efficacy of targeted SMA with low frequency.