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Updated: Jul 29, 2025
MRI-guided dmPFC-rTMS as a Treatment for Treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder
Published on: August 11, 2015
Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation alters resting-state neurophysiological traits in major depressive disorder
Nathaniel A Shanok1, Santiago Rodriguez1, Sabrina Muzac1
1Delray Center for Brain Sciences, 103 SE 4th St., Delray Beach, FL 33483, United States of America.
Objective:
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent and debilitating health conditions worldwide; unfortunately, many patients do not respond to traditional antidepressant medication or talk therapy approaches. Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (Deep TMS) has emerged as an effective treatment option for such "treatment-resistant" cases; however, the mechanisms by which Deep TMS attenuates depressive symptoms are still ambiguous.
Methods:
In the current study, resting-state quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) measures were assessed pre-and-post treatment to illustrate neurophysiological changes resulting from Deep TMS.
Results:
The results showed reduced slow-frequency brain activity (delta and theta waves) in the prefrontal cortex following 36 treatments. Additionally, baseline QEEG measures predicted treatment response with 93 % accuracy.
Conclusions:
These findings provide preliminary evidence that TMS improves depressive symptoms by mitigating slow-wave brain activity in the prefrontal cortex.
Significance:
Deep TMS paired with QEEG should continue to be utilized for treatment of MDD in clinical practice and future studies should explore its potential for other neuropsychiatric conditions.
