A practical guide to the use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of depression
Brain Stimulation, 08/03/2012
Fitzgerald PB et al. – Significant benefit appears likely to accumulate through the use of methods that involve a more reliable targeting of prefrontal brain regions. Suggestions are also made around the use of Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment as a maintenance therapy and in specific illness subgroups.
Methods- These suggestions have been informed both by a review of the relevant literature and the experience of the authors in the treatment of many patients with depression with rTMS over a period of 10years.
- High-frequency rTMS applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, using a set of parameters very similar to those originally described in the mid-1990s, is an effective treatment for patients with major depressive disorder.
- Other forms of stimulation, such as low-frequency stimulation applied to the right prefrontal cortex and bilateral approaches, may prove valuable but require evaluation in larger trials.
