Key clinical point: Neuronavigation-guided high-dose repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may be a novel method to rapidly reduce suicidal ideation in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).
Major finding : The rTMS vs. sham group demonstrated a significantly greater reduction in the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (−14.76 vs. −4.71), 24-item Hamilton Depression rating scale (−19.19 vs. −4.48), and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale scores (−19.67 vs. −4.33) on day 7 ( P less than .001 for all).
Study details: A total of 42 treatment-naïve patients with MDD with suicidal ideation were randomly assigned to receive escitalopram oxalate in combination with rTMS via either active (n = 21) or sham coil (n = 21) for 1 week.
Disclosures: This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The authors declared no conflict of interest.
Citation: Pan F et al. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2020 Apr 22. doi: 10.1002/cpt.1858.