Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Citing Articles via Google Scholar Articles by Stern, W. M. Articles by Pascual-Leone, A. Search for Related Content PubMed Citation Articles by Stern, W. M. Articles by Pascual-Leone, A. Other Neuroimaging

Antidepressant Effects of High and Low Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex

A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Received September 12, 2006; revised December 4, 2006; accepted December 13, 2006. Drs. Stern, Tormos, Press, Pearlman, and Pascual-Leone are affiliated with the Center For Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Address correspondence to Dr. Pascual-Leone, Center for Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston MA 02215; apleone{at}bidmc.harvard.edu (e-mail).

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has antidepressant effects in patients with major depressive disorder. The mechanisms of action and optimal stimulation parameters remain unclear. To test the hypothesis that rTMS exerts antidepressant effects either by enhancing left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) excitability or by decreasing right DLPFC excitability, the authors studied 45 patients with unipolar recurrent major depressive disorder in a double-blind, randomized, parallel group, sham-controlled trial. Patients were randomized to receive 1 Hz or 10 Hz rTMS to the left DLPFC, 1 Hz to the right DLPFC or sham TMS. Left 10 Hz and right 1 Hz rTMS showed similar significant antidepressant effects. Other parameters led to no significant antidepressant effects.

Get information about faster international access.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2007 American Neuropsychiatric Association. All rights reserved.

Home | Search | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscribe | All APPI Journals | Help | Contact Us