Effects of Repeated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Cognitive Functions of Police Personnel with Post-Traumatic Stress

Aims: The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effects of repeated magnetic brain stimulation on cognitive functions of police personnel with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This research was applied and semi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test research design with a control group. Materials and Methods: The statistical population included Naja police officers who were referred to the neuropsychiatric department of Imam Sajjad Naja Hospital of Tehran for a period of 6 months in a time interval of 6 months. In this study, 30 people were randomly selected for the control and experimental groups. These participants were PTSD patients who were diagnosed after the traumatic accident via a diagnostic interview with a psychiatrist and an expert clinical psychologist. Cognitive functions were evaluated through Rey's visual memory test, Rey's auditory-verbal memory test, Tower of London performance test, and Stroop card test, which were performed as a pre-test and post-test for both experimental and control groups. The experimental group was exposed to extracortical magnetic danger for 10 sessions. The data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance using SPSS22 statistical software. Findings: The results showed that the experimental group compared to the control group in the terms of visual memory, auditory-verbal memory, tower of London, staying-in-place error, number of floors, interference score, interference time, consonant error and inconsonant error showed better scores. Conclusion: The obtained results indicate the effectiveness of high-frequency repetitive positive transcortical magnetic stimulation on the cognitive functions of people suffering from PTSD.