TY - JOUR
T1 - Transcranial magnetic stimulation in treatment-resistant depressed patients
T2 - A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
AU - Rossini, David
AU - Lucca, Adelio
AU - Zanardi, Raffaella
AU - Magri, Lorenzo
AU - Smeraldi, Enrico
PY - 2005/11/15
Y1 - 2005/11/15
N2 - This 5-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigated the efficacy and tolerability of high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) directed to the left prefrontal cortex in drug-resistant depressed patients. Fifty-four patients were randomly assigned to receive 10 daily applications of either real or sham rTMS. Subjects assigned to receive active stimulation were divided into two further subgroups according to the intensity of stimulation: 80% vs. 100% of motor threshold (MT). At study completion, the response rates were 61.1% (n = 11), 27.8% (n = 5) and 6.2% (n = 1) for the 100% MT group, 80% MT group and sham group, respectively. A significant difference (Pearson χ2 test) was found between the 100% MT and sham groups, while the 80% MT group did not differ significantly from the sham group. Between the two active groups, a marginally significant difference was observed. Analysis of variance with repeated measures on Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores revealed a significantly different decrease over time of depressive symptomatology among the three treatment groups. Treatment response appeared to be unrelated to the demographic and clinical characteristics recorded, and on the whole the technique was well tolerated. The results of this double-blind trial showed that rTMS may be a useful and safe adjunctive treatment for drug-resistant depressed patients.
AB - This 5-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigated the efficacy and tolerability of high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) directed to the left prefrontal cortex in drug-resistant depressed patients. Fifty-four patients were randomly assigned to receive 10 daily applications of either real or sham rTMS. Subjects assigned to receive active stimulation were divided into two further subgroups according to the intensity of stimulation: 80% vs. 100% of motor threshold (MT). At study completion, the response rates were 61.1% (n = 11), 27.8% (n = 5) and 6.2% (n = 1) for the 100% MT group, 80% MT group and sham group, respectively. A significant difference (Pearson χ2 test) was found between the 100% MT and sham groups, while the 80% MT group did not differ significantly from the sham group. Between the two active groups, a marginally significant difference was observed. Analysis of variance with repeated measures on Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores revealed a significantly different decrease over time of depressive symptomatology among the three treatment groups. Treatment response appeared to be unrelated to the demographic and clinical characteristics recorded, and on the whole the technique was well tolerated. The results of this double-blind trial showed that rTMS may be a useful and safe adjunctive treatment for drug-resistant depressed patients.
KW - Left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
KW - Motor threshold
KW - Resistant major depression
KW - TMS
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=27644535446&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=27644535446&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.psychres.2005.06.008
DO - 10.1016/j.psychres.2005.06.008
M3 - Article
C2 - 16225930
AN - SCOPUS:27644535446
VL - 137
SP - 1
EP - 10
JO - Psychiatry Research
JF - Psychiatry Research
SN - 0165-1781
IS - 1-2
ER -