Does Receiving Your Preferred Treatment Change Symptom Improvement?
In an ideal clinical trial that examines multiple treatments for a condition, patients are assigned a treatment randomly. This means that upon learning of the different potential treatment options that a clinical trial offers, the patient may not be assigned the treatment that they have a preference for. In this case, the patient may not attend treatments as regularly, or adhere to the treatment schedule as strongly if they were assigned a treatment they weren’t as interested in. The question that researchers ask in this study is: can patient treatment preference predict if the patient will receive benefits from the treatment?
Boosting Quality of Life in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Comparison of Three Strategies
While many depression treatments focus only on reducing depressive symptoms, there is another important measure to be considered called quality of life. Quality of life is a patient’s own assessment of their daily well-being, including how they feel, how they function, and their ability to find pleasure in life activities. Quality of life is an important measure because simply feeling “less depressed” does not always mean a person has fully regained their ability to enjoy life or function as they did before depression. In this study, researchers focus on measuring 3 different treatments’ effects on quality of life.
Extended Course of Accelerated rTMS as a Substitute for Electroconvulsive Therapy
Paper authors: Michelle S. Goodman, Alisson P. Trevizol, Gerasimos N. Konstantinou, David Boivin-Lafleur, Ram Brender, Jonathan Downar, Tyler S. Kaster, Yuliya Knyahnytska, Fidel Vila-Rodriguez, Daphne Voineskos, Zafiris J. Daskalakis, Daniel M. Blumberger Year of paper publication: 2025 Post authors: Caleb Pozdnikoff, Sarah Kesler, Fidel Vila-Rodriguez Check out the full research article: Goodman et al. (2025) […]
rTMS and Substance Use: A Consensus Guide
In this study, researchers gathered a panel of doctors and researchers who are experts in the field of rTMS. By asking all the experts a series of questionnaires, they reached a consensus on the best approach to manage substance use for people receiving rTMS. This was done to create a consistent safety framework for doctors and researchers to advise their patients.
Once vs. Twice: iTBS Delivers Equal Relief for Suicidal Thoughts
Paper authors: Lorina Zapf, Tyler S. Kaster, Fidel Vila-Rodriguez, Zafiris J. Daskalakis, Jonathan Downar, Daniel M. Blumberger Year of paper publication: 2025 Post authors: Caleb Pozdnikoff, Sarah Kesler, Fidel Vila-Rodriguez Check out the full research article: Zapf et al. (2025) The effect of once-daily vs. twice-daily intermittent theta burst stimulation on suicidal ideation in treatment-resistant […]
Does rTMS Improve Quality of Life in Adults?
Paper authors: Katharina Göke, Jonathan Downar, Fidel Vila-Rodriguez, Zafiris J. Daskalakis, Tarek K. Rajji, Benoit H. Mulsant, and Daniel M. Blumberger Year of paper publication: 2025 Post authors: Caleb Pozdnikoff, Lisa Ridgway, Fidel Vila-Rodriguez Download the research article: Göke et al. (2025) The effects of rTMS on self-reported quality of life in younger and older […]
Hormones and rTMS: measuring altered levels of brain activation
Researchers have previously found that sex hormones produced by the ovaries can influence how easily individual brain cells can be excited. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) functions by exciting brain cells. Does this mean researchers need to account for fluctuating sex hormone levels when people are undergoing rTMS treatments?
This study shows that hormone changes seem to alter cortical excitability. More specifically, when estrogen levels are high, a progressive increase in brain excitability can occur. This suggests that females enrolled in repeated session rTMS treatments or research should be tested during the same phase of their menstrual cycle to ensure consistent and reliable results.
Does shorter rTMS work for Older Adults?
In traditional bilateral (two-sided) rTMS, it takes 47.5 minutes to do the treatment. To address long treatment times, theta burst stimulation (TBS) has been developed. TBS uses patterned bursts of stimulation that may achieve similar effects to standard rTMS in about 4 minutes. The shorter appointment time may increase the number of older adults with TRD who can access this treatment. This study was designed to assess whether this quicker bilateral TBS protocol was as effective as the standard, longer bilateral rTMS in reducing depressive symptoms in older adults with TRD.
Can rTMS treatments be shorter?
For treatment resistant-depression (TRD), there is a standard form of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment. This form lasts for 37.5 minutes; a considerable amount of time for one treatment. The goal of this study was to see if the time rTMS treatments take can be reduced while remaining as effective by using a new form, called intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS).
Two-Sided rTMS Treatment is Better Than One-Sided for People With Treatment-Resistant Depression
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) offers an alternative treatment for people with treatment-resistant depression. This study compared two-sided rTMS treatment to one-sided rTMS and sham (placebo) rTMS. This study also addressed limitations in other studies by using MRI to increase individualization of placing the rTMS device and extending the treatment weeks to up to six weeks.