Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Gains approval of the FDA for Depression

Two blogs announced the news that the FDA had approved rTMS for depression. Therapeutic Neuromodulation

Finally, 3 years after the first presentation of the trial data at the 2005 ACT meeting and one year after the publication of the results in Biological Psychiatry by Jonny O’Reardon the manufacturer Neuronetics got the treatment approved by the FDA for the treatment of depression…

Brain Stimulant has an excellent introduction about the history of rTMS with links to the press release.

My opinion on rTMS in depression has been discussed in several posts on this blog. Had to update some of the information regularly.

You can read a meta-analysis comparing rTMS trials in depression before and after 2002. Trials have improved.

In another trial was very well done but results with rTMS for depression were not very impressive.

Augmentation of antidepressants with rTMS was not successful compared to antidepressants and sham rTMS.

The fast track is reading an update number 1 about rTMS. A Cochrane review is discussed as well as 8 trials since than. In update number 2 other more recent trials are discussed about response prediction and localization of rTMS.

Open trials with rTMS for depression appear abundantly, read all about it here.

There is some good news with rTMS, it can improve working memory and has 8 other effects on brain function.

Overall Dr Shock isn’t impressed of the efficacy of rTMS in depression, what do you think?