ECT May Be More Effective Than rTMS

In a head-to-head comparison study from Iran, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation improves depressive symptoms, but less so than electroconvulsive therapy.

Research results have been inconsistent on the effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Researchers in Iran randomized 75 patients (mean age, 35) with major depressive disorder to 10 days of daily rTMS or 10 sessions of bilateral electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) administered three times weekly (approximate duration, 3 weeks). All patients had failed to benefit from two antidepressant trials. During the study, patients continued whatever medications that they had previously been taking. Sixty patients completed the study.

Scores on self-reported (Beck Depression Inventory) and interviewer-administered measures (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression; HRSD) decreased significantly with both treatments, but ECT produce…

Reviewing Author

Steven Dubovsky, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportTower Foundation; Patrick Lee Foundation; Boehringer Ingelheim; Intra-Cellular Therapies; Janssen; Biogen; Allergan

Editorial BoardsMind and Brain; Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic; Current Psychiatry; Journal of Psychosomatic Research

Steven Dubovsky, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportTower Foundation; Patrick Lee Foundation; Boehringer Ingelheim; Intra-Cellular Therapies; Janssen; Biogen; Allergan

Editorial BoardsMind and Brain; Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic; Current Psychiatry; Journal of Psychosomatic Research

ECT May Be More Effective Than rTMS

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Reviewing Author