Schulze-Rauschenbach et al (2005) report an interesting study comparing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for the treatment of major depression. They conclude that both are equally efficacious, but rTMS is associated with fewer cognitive side-effects. Ultimately, a therapeutic plan that optimally helps a given individual cope with disabilit...

BACKGROUND Studies have compared electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with regard to clinical efficacy in the treatment of depression, but no study has yet addressed the differential impact on cognition. AIMS To compare the neurocognitive effects of unilateral ECT and rTMS. METHOD Thirty patients with treatment-refractory non-psychotic majo...

The search for new treatments to improve outcome in people with anorexia nervosa continues. This pilot study investigated whether one session of high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) delivered to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex reduces eating disorder related symptoms following exposure to visual and real food stimuli. Safety and tolerability were also asses...

Schulze-Rauschenbach et al (2005) report an interesting study comparing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for the treatment of major depression. They conclude that both are equally efficacious, but rTMS is associated with fewer cognitive side-effects. Ultimately, a therapeutic plan that optimally helps a given individual cope with disabilit...

Throughout the long history of various therapeutic trials of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), some TMS protocols have been reported to be clearly effective in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Despite promising results from repetitive TMS (rTMS) using low frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) for neurodegenerative diseases, the low reproducibility has hampered the clinical ...

Contradictory findings exist concerning the inhibitory function of low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Therefore, the study examines the impact of different duration of low frequency rTMS on ERPs. In 17 subjects, auditory ERPs were measured before and after 1 Hz rTMS delivered over the left prefrontal cortex during 10 min (600 pulses) and 15 min (900 pulses). Resu...

BACKGROUND This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind pilot study evaluated the impact of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on clinical, cognitive, and social performance in women suffering with postpartum depression. METHODS Fourteen patients were randomized to receive 20 sessions of sham rTMS or active 5 Hz rTMS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Psychiat...

Modulation of activity in the left temporoparietal area (LTA) by 10 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) results in a transient reduction of tinnitus. We aimed to replicate these results and test whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of LTA could yield similar effect. Patients with tinnitus underwent six different types of stimulation in a random order: 10-Hz ...

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an effective and novel treatment method that has been approved for the treatment of refractory depression by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The most common side effects of rTMS are a transient headache that usually responds to simple analgesics, local discomfort in the stimulation area, dizziness, ipsilateral lacrimation and, very r...

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and repetitive TMS (rTMS) are indirect and non-invasive methods used to induce excitability changes in the motor cortex via a wire coil generating a magnetic field that passes through the scalp. Today, TMS has become a key method to investigate brain functioning in humans. Moreover, because rTMS can lead to long-lasting after-effects in the brain, it is t...