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Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in the treatment of major depression — a pilot study
Author(s) -
Kolbinger Hans Martin,
Höflich Gereon,
Hufnagel Andreas,
Müller HansJürgen,
Kasper Siegfried
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
human psychopharmacology: clinical and experimental
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.461
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1099-1077
pISSN - 0885-6222
DOI - 10.1002/hup.470100408
Subject(s) - transcranial magnetic stimulation , clinical global impression , hamd , psychology , electroconvulsive therapy , placebo , stimulation , antidepressant , brain stimulation , mood , stimulus (psychology) , depression (economics) , neurology , anesthesia , medicine , psychiatry , neuroscience , anxiety , psychotherapist , cognition , alternative medicine , pathology , economics , macroeconomics
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a diagnostic method well established in neurology. As some effects of TMS are similar to those of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), we looked for an antidepressant efficacy of TMS in a semi‐blinded monocentric pilot study. Fifteen patients with Major Depression (DSM‐III‐R) were included. Ten patients were randomized into two groups and treated with 250 transcranial magnetic stimuli/session for five consecutive days. Stimulus intensity in the two groups was motoric threshold ± 0.3 tesla respectively. Five patients received placebo stimulation in a similar setting. As assessed by the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), the Clinical Global Impression (CGI), and the Adjective Mood Scale of von Zerssen (Bf‐S/Bf‐S'), there was an improvement of depressive symptoms in both verum groups, more pronounced in the ‘stimulation below threshold’ group. Patients in the placebo group did not benefit from stimulation. Our data suggest that TMS might indeed have a relevant antidepressive efficacy.