Neural correlates of high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation improvement in post-stroke non-fluent aphasia: A case study

Damage to the left inferior frontal gyrus (lIFG) affects language and can cause aphasia in stroke. Following left hemisphere damage it has been suggested that the homologue area in the right hemisphere compensates for lost functions. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that inhibitory 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) targeting the right IFG can be useful for enhancing recovery in aphasic patients. In the present study we applied activating high frequency (10-Hz) rTMS, which increases cortical excitability, to the damaged lIFG daily for 3 weeks. Pre- and post-TMS EEG are performed, as well as language function assessments with the Aachener Aphasia Test Battery. Results demonstrate a decrease in rIFG activity post rTMS and normalization for the lIFG for beta3 frequency band. Also increased activity was in the right supplementary motor area for beta3 frequency band. In comparison to pre-TMS the aphasic patient improved on repetition tests, for naming and comprehension. After rTMS increased functional connectivity was shown in comparison to before between the lIFG and the rIFG for theta and beta3 frequency band. This case report suggests that 10 Hz rTMS of the lIFG can normalize activity in the lIFG and right IFG possibly mediated via altered functional connectivity.     

Early relapse (ER) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in treatment resistant major depression

Background

There is interest in using TMS to keep patients with severe relapsing depression as well as possible, once remission has been achieved. This has been conceptualized as ‘maintaining’ the remission. One protocol employs series of 5 TMS sessions over 3 or 5 days, at about monthly intervals. We have suggested this practice is better conceptualized as early relapse (ER) TMS.

Differences between a single session and repeated sessions of 1 Hz TMS by double-cone coil prefrontal stimulation for the improvement of tinnitus

Tinnitus related distress is associated with increased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). In a recent study, it was demonstrated that a single session of low frequency prefrontal TMS using a double-cone coil (DCC) modulating the ACC (AC/DC TMS, anterior cingulate cortex targeted modulation by Double-Cone coil) yields a transient improvement in subjects with chronic tinnitus. An increasing number of studies demonstrated that repeated sessions of low frequency TMS to the temporoparietal area can significantly improve tinnitus complaints. Our aim is to determine the extent to which repeated sessions of AC/DC TMS can modulate tinnitus in comparison to a single session. Seventy-three tinnitus patients received a single (N = 46) or repetitive (N = 27) session(s) of TMS using a DCC placed over the prefrontal cortex. Our results indicate that both single sessions as well as multiple sessions (i.e. 8 sessions) of AC/DC TMS suppress both tinnitus distress (respectively 7.60% vs. 26.19%) and tinnitus intensity (respectively 7.12% vs. 19.60%) transiently. It was further shown that multiple sessions of AC/DC TMS generate a higher suppression effect in comparison to a single session of AC/DC TMS and that more patients responded to repeated sessions of 1 Hz stimulation in comparison to a single session. Our findings give further support to the fact that non-auditory areas are involved in tinnitus intensity and tinnitus distress and that more patients respond to repeated sessions with a higher suppression effect in comparison to patients who received a single session, suggesting that the approach of daily TMS sessions is relevant.     

Optimal transcranial magnetic stimulation coil placement for targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex using novel magnetic resonance image‐guided neuronavigation

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of several psychiatric illnesses including major depressive disorder and schizophrenia. In this regard, the DLPFC has been targeted in repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) studies as a form of treatment to those patients who are resistant to medications. The ‘5‐cm method’ and the ‘10‐20 method’ for positioning the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) coil over DLPFC have been scrutinised due to poor targeting accuracies attributed to inter‐subject variability. We evaluated the accuracy of such methods to localise the DLPFC on the scalp in 15 healthy subjects and compared them with our novel neuronavigational method, which first estimates the DLPFC position in the cortex based on a standard template and then determines the most appropriate position on the scalp in which to place the TMS coil. Our neuronavigational method yielded a scalp position for the left DLPFC between electrodes F3 and F5 in standard space and was closest to electrode F5 in individual space. Further, we found that there was significantly less inter‐subject variability using our neuronavigational method for localising the DLPFC on the scalp compared with the ‘5‐cm method’ and the ‘10‐20 method’. Our findings also suggest that the ‘10‐20 method’ is superior to the ‘5‐cm method’ in reducing inter‐subject variability and that electrode F5 should be the stimulation location of choice when MRI co‐registration is not available. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Bullying and depression: A case report

Bullying is common in schools and is often seen as an inevitable part of school life. Children who are bullied tend to be more anxious and insecure than their peers. We report the case of a 13-year-old boy who was bullied from the age of 9 and presented to the local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Team (CAMHS) with a psychotic depression. Clinical improvement and re-integration into school was achieved by use of psychotropic medication and work on building self-esteem so that the patient could assert himself, both with peers and adults. There is evidence suggesting that children and adolescents who are bullied have increased rates of referral to the CAMHS, particularly with symptoms of depression. (Int J Psych Clin Pract 2000; 4:73-75)     

Effectiveness of a second deep TMS in depression: a brief report

Objectives

Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (DTMS) is an emerging and promising treatment for major depression. In our study, we explored the effectiveness of a second antidepressant course of deep TMS in major depression. We enrolled eight patients who had previously responded well to DTMS but relapsed within 1 year in order to evaluate whether a second course of DTMS would still be effective.

Methods

Eight depressive patients who relapsed after a previous successful deep TMS course expressed their wish to be treated again. Upon their request, they were recruited and treated with 20 daily sessions of DTMS at 20 Hz using the Brainsway's H1 coil. The Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS), Hamilton anxiety rating scale (HARS) and the Beck depression inventory (BDI) were used weekly to evaluate the response to treatment.

Results

Similar to the results obtained in the first course of treatment, the second course of treatment (after relapse) induced significant reductions in HDRS, HARS and BDI scores, compared to the ratings measured prior to treatment. The magnitude of response in the second course was smaller relative to that obtained in the first course of treatment.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that depressive patients who previously responded well to deep TMS treatment are likely to respond again. However, the slight reduction in the magnitude of the response in the second treatment raises the question of whether tolerance or resistance to this treatment may eventually develop.     

Acute severe depression induced by intraoperative stimulation of the substantia nigra: a case report

We present a 62 years old man with Parkinson's disease (PD) who underwent bilateral stimulation in the subthalamic nucleus (STN). During the intraoperative evaluation, stimulation through the lowest contact in the right STN area, induced an acute depressive state, during which the patient was crying and expressing that he did not want to live. The patient returned to his normal state of mood within seconds after the cessation of stimulation. Repeated blinded stimulations resulted in the same response. Immediate postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed that the lowest contact of the right electrode was located in the substantia nigra.     

Reliability of targeting methods in TMS for depression: Beam F3 vs. 5.5 cm

BackgroundNo consensus exists in the clinical transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) field as to the best method for targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) for depression treatment. Two common targeting methods are the Beam F3 method and the 5.5 cm rule.ObjectiveEvaluate the anatomical reliability of technician-identified DLPFC targets and obtain consensus average brain and scalp MNI152 coordinates.MethodsThree trained TMS technicians performed repeated targeting using both the Beam F3 method and 5.5 cm rule in ten healthy subjects (n = 162). Average target locations were plotted on 7T structural MRIs to compare inter- and intra-rater reliability, respectively.Results(1) Beam F3 inter- and intra-rater reliability was superior to 5.5 cm targeting (p = 0.0005 and 0.0035). (2) The average Beam F3 location was 2.6±1.0 cm anterolateral to the 5.5 cm method.ConclusionsBeam F3 targeting demonstrates greater precision and reliability than the 5.5 cm method and identifies a different anatomical target.     

Left versus right repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in treating major depression: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Although the majority of randomised controlled trials suggest that major depressive disorder (MDD, major depression) and treatment-resistant depression can be effectively treated by applying either high- (HF) or low-frequency (LF) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), respectively, it is not clear which rTMS approach is more effective or safer. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted on randomised controlled trials on HF and LF rTMS applied to the left and right DLPFC, respectively, for the treatment of MDD. Eight randomised controlled trials composed of 249 patients were selected to compare the effects of LF (≤1 Hz) rTMS over the right DLPFC to HF (10–20 Hz) rTMS over the left DLPFC. The therapeutic effects of both approaches were similar (odds ratio (OR) = 1.15; 95% confidence interval = 0.65–2.03). Dropout analysis based on only two studies was insufficient to draw a conclusion on the tolerability of LF rTMS. The pooled examination demonstrated that both rTMS methods were equally effective therapies for MDD. However, considering that LF right-sided rTMS produces fewer side effects and is more protective against seizures, its clinical applicability shows greater promise and should be explored further.     

Atlas of optimal coil orientation and position for TMS: A computational study

Background

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) activates target brain structures in a non-invasive manner. The optimal orientation of the TMS coil for the motor cortex is well known and can be estimated using motor evoked potentials. However, there are no easily measurable responses for activation of other cortical areas and the optimal orientation for these areas is currently unknown.

Left prefrontal transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatment of depression in bipolar affective disorder: a pilot study of acute safety and efficacy

Objectives:  Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been shown to improve depressive symptoms. We designed and carried out the following left prefrontal rTMS study to determine the safety, feasibility, and potential efficacy of using TMS to treat the depressive symptoms of bipolar affective disorder (BPAD).
Methods:  We recruited and enrolled 23 depressed BPAD patients (12 BPI depressed state, nine BPII depressed state, two BPI mixed state). Patients were randomly assigned to receive either daily left prefrontal rTMS (5 Hz, 110% motor threshold, 8 sec on, 22 sec off, over 20 min) or placebo each weekday morning for 2 weeks. Motor threshold and subjective rating scales were obtained daily, and blinded Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) and Young Mania Rating Scales (YMRS) were obtained weekly.
Results:  Stimulation was well tolerated with no significant adverse events and with no induction of mania. We failed to find a statistically significant difference between the two groups in the number of antidepressant responders (>50% decline in HRSD or HRSD <10 – 4 active and 4 sham) or the mean HRSD change from baseline over the 2 weeks ( t =−0.22, p=0.83). Active rTMS, compared with sham rTMS, produced a trend but not statistically significant greater improvement in daily subjective mood ratings post-treatment ( t =1.58, p=0.13). The motor threshold did not significantly change after 2 weeks of active treatment ( t =1.11, p=0.28).
Conclusions:  Daily left prefrontal rTMS appears safe in depressed BPAD subjects, and the risk of inducing mania in BPAD subjects on medications is small. We failed to find statistically significant TMS clinical antidepressant effects greater than sham. Further studies are needed to fully investigate the potential role, if any, of TMS in BPAD depression.     

Slow right prefrontal transcranial magnetic stimulation as a treatment for medication-resistant depression: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Over the past decade, efforts have been made to assess the positive therapeutic effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) by altering the excitability of the brain. We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the efficacy of right prefrontal slow repetitive TMS in patients with treatment refractory major depression. This pilot study supports the therapeutic potential of rTMS in the low-frequency range of 1 Hz on right prefrontal cortex for the treatment of refractory major depression. Additional studies will be necessary to assess the efficacy of rTMS with different indices (frequency, intensity, and stimulation site) for major depression and other psychiatric diseases.     

难治性抑郁还是老年期痴呆：一例病例报告

概述：抑郁伴痴呆在老年人中日益普遍。本报告描述了一个78岁的女性患者,先前有过两次抑郁发作,本次存在抑郁症状（动力缺乏和情感淡漠）和典型的痴呆症状（记忆力和执行功能受损）。即使经过详细的临床检查和神经心理测量,仍然难以明确诊断是难治性抑郁症还是老年痴呆。经过8周的住院治疗,更改了原先以利血平为主的降压药,调整抗抑郁药并予心理治疗,患者的抑郁和焦虑症状改善,但大多数认知症状仍然持续存在。在出院后7个月的随访中,这些症状也没有变化。随后,她出现了晚期乳腺癌并开始化疗,此时她的抑郁症状和认知症状更加明显。我们认为,需要2~3年的随访才可以确定认知症状是抑郁症的残留症状还是新出现的痴呆表现（或两者皆是）。该病例表明对于同时有抑郁症状和痴呆症状的老年患者,不仅需要详细的临床检查和神经心理测试,而且要结合对治疗疗效的长期评估才能明确诊断。