title: [Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. A method in the treatment of depressions].
abstract: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been used as a diagnostic tool in neurology for more than a decade. Recent research indicates that it when applied repeatedly as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has an antidepressant effect. RTMS is based on the principle of electro-magnetism. An electromagnetic coil placed on the scalp produces a time-varying magnetic field, which gives rise to a current in the proximity of the cerebral cortex. Unlike electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) rTMS does normally not give rise to epileptic seizures and does not require anaesthesia. This review covers a critical summary of the literature on the subject. The results of recent placebo-controlled, randomized trials are promising. However, further investigations are required, before rTMS can be fully integrated in the antidepressant therapeutic armamentarium.
authors.affiliation: Arhus Universitetshospital, Psykiatrisk Hospital i Arhus, Forskningsafdeling for Affektive Sygdomme.
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Hansen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012886:Skull