A study conducted at Rush University Medical Center, US, suggests that transcranial magnetic stimulation can be an effective, long-term treatment for major depression.
The non-invasive therapy involves highly focused magnetic field pulses being delivered to the left prefrontal cortex of the brain.
The study, designed to evaluate the durability of transcranial magnetic stimulation benefit, enrolled 301 patients suffering with major depression, who were randomised to receive active or sham therapy for a period of six weeks.
The patients who responded entered into a three-week, transition period where they were tapered off of active or sham transcranial magnetic stimulation, and received standard antidepressant for maintenance.
About 142 patients who received active transcranial magnetic stimulation entered into the three-week transition phase, and 121 of them completed this phase without relapse.
Among the 121 patients, 99 patients agreed to be evaluated for an additional 24 weeks, and only 10 of the patients relapsed.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation was also used as an intermittent rescue strategy to prevent impending relapse in 32 of 38 patients.
