Magnetic seizure therapy for unipolar and bipolar depression: An up to date systematic review

Magnetic seizure therapy (MST) has emerged as a promising alternative to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for treatment-resistant depression. Previous systematic reviews and meta analysis already showed its primary results, however, there are no recent reviews updating these findings.

This systematic review aimed to make an updated systematic review of MST on unipolar and bipolar depression.

We conducted a search considering databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus). Studies were included if they investigated MST in human subjects for unipolar or bipolar depression, and not restricting to year or language.

Data resulted in 15 studies, corresponding to 300 participants that received MST. Most studies were pilot, open-label or secondary analyses (n = 12). Participants that received MST had a response and remission rates ranging from 26.9% to 72.2% and 11.1% to 61.1%, respectively. The most common stimulation regions were vertex and prefrontal cortex, with frequencies between 25-100 Hz and duration of 6-24 sessions (2-3 times a week). Few side effects were reported.

MST shows to be effective and well-tolerated treatment for depression. Larger, double-blinded RCTs with standardised mood, cognitive, and side effect assessments are needed to confirm these findings.