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Acute rTMS Treatment for Depression

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rTMS Treatment for Depression

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Abstract

A substantive series of clinical trials have supported the antidepressant efficacy of high-frequency rTMS applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The results of these trials have been summarized in several meta-analyses which support the positive antidepressant efficacy of this technique. Studies comparing rTMS and ECT have been substantially limited by sample size and design issues. In addition to high-frequency rTMS, studies have explored the use of low-frequency rTMS applied to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and sequential bilateral rTMS combining both high- and low-frequency approaches with both showing efficacy in clinical trials and meta-analysis. Deep TMS, using a coil able to penetrate a significantly greater depth into the cortex, has also been shown to be effective as has stimulation with the novel theta-burst TMS paradigms. There are a number of significant methodological issues that need to be considered in evaluating rTMS trials and the application of this treatment. These include the method of coil localization and the way in which sham treatment is applied in clinical trials.

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  1. Epworth Healthcare and Monash University, Epworth Centre for Innovation in Mental Health, Camberwell, VIC, Australia

    Paul B. Fitzgerald

  2. Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego Health System, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Z. Jeff Daskalakis

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Correspondence to Paul B. Fitzgerald .

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Fitzgerald, P.B., Daskalakis, Z.J. (2022). Acute rTMS Treatment for Depression. In: rTMS Treatment for Depression. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91519-3_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91519-3_4

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