Naturalistic study of the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of depressive relapse.
BACKGROUND
The efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the treatment of depression has been assessed in a number of acute treatment trials during the last 10 years. Little is known about the long-term impact of the treatment on the disorder and its effectiveness when applied for repeated relapses of depression over time.


METHODS
Nineteen patients who had previously responded to rTMS in clinical trials received treatment with rTMS for a total of 30 episodes of depressive relapse.


RESULTS
Approximately 10 months elapsed between treatment episodes. The majority of patients achieved a significant improvement in each treatment course with significant improvements achieved in patients treated with both low-frequency right-sided rTMS and high-frequency left-sided rTMS.


CONCLUSIONS
The study suggests that rTMS may have value in the treatment of episodes of depressive relapse with little reduction in efficacy over time.
Fitzgerald
Paul B
PB
Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Department of Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. paul.fitzgerald@med.monash.edu.au
Benitez
Jessica
J
de Castella
Anthony R
AR
Brown
Timothy L
TL
Daskalakis
Z Jeff
ZJ
Kulkarni
Jayashri
J
D000328:Adult; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; D016896:Treatment Outcome