This work may not be copied, distributed, displayed, published, reproduced, transmitted, modified, posted, sold, licensed, or used for commercial purposes. By downloading this file, you are agreeing to the publisher’s Terms & Conditions.

Original Research

Bilateral Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Decreases Suicidal Ideation in Depression

Cory R. Weissman, MD; Daniel M. Blumberger, MD, MSc; Patrick E. Brown, PhD; Moshe Isserles, MD; Tarek K. Rajji, MD; Jonathan Downar, MD, PhD; Benoit H. Mulsant, MD, MSc; Paul B. Fitzgerald, MD, PhD; and Zafiris J. Daskalakis, MD, PhD, FRCP(C)

Published: April 17, 2018

Article Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on suicidal ideation in patients with treatment-resistant major depression (TRD) (patients who failed to clinically respond to at least 2 medication trials).

Methods: We pooled data from 2 published prospective randomized controlled trials of rTMS applied to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in patients with TRD. We compared the effect of bilateral, left unilateral, and sham rTMS on suicidal ideation as measured by the suicide item of the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) (N = 156).

Results: Suicidal ideation resolved in 40.4%, 26.8%, and 18.8% of participants randomized to bilateral, left unilateral, and sham rTMS, respectively. The difference between bilateral and sham was significant (OR = 3.03; 95% CI, 1.19-7.71; P = .02), unlike the difference between left unilateral and sham (OR = 1.59; 95% CI, 0.61-4.12; P = .33). There was a modest correlation between change in suicidal ideation and change in depression severity (Pearson r = 0.38; P < .001) and no difference in change of HDRS-16 score between suicide remitters and nonremitters (P = .32).

Conclusions: Bilateral rTMS was superior to sham rTMS in reducing suicidal ideation in patients with TRD. Only a small portion of the reduction in suicidal ideation was attributable to the reduction in depressive symptoms. These data suggest that suicidal ideation could be a specific target symptom construct for rTMS.

Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT01515215 and NCT00305045

Volume: 79

Quick Links: Depression (MDD) , Suicide

Continue Reading…

Subscribe to read the entire article

$40.00

Buy this Article as a PDF

References