Is rTMS a Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

A meta-analysis shows that short-term repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation reduces symptoms of this difficult-to-treat disorder.

Up to 60% of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) do not respond to first-line treatments. In a meta-analysis of 20 single- or double-blind, randomized studies, researchers in China examined the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in 791 patients with OCD.

All studies compared active rTMS with two sham conditions, a sham or a tilted coil. The sham coil gives an auditory sensation similar to active treatment, unlike the tilted coil, which also is often in a different location than an active coil.

Overall, rTMS showed a large effect size on OCD symptoms compared with the sham condition immediately after treatment lasting 2 to 12 weeks. High- and low-frequency rTMS had approximately equal efficacy, as did…

Reviewing Author

Claire Wilcox, MD

Disclosures

EquityMannkind Corporation

Grant/Research SupportNIH

Claire Wilcox, MD

Disclosures

EquityMannkind Corporation

Grant/Research SupportNIH

Is rTMS a Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

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Reviewing Author