Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Jul 2019
Randomized Controlled TrialA Pilot Investigation of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Post-Traumatic Brain Injury Depression: Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy.
Depression following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is common and difficult to treat using standard approaches. The current study investigated, for the first time, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for the treatment of post TBI depression. We specifically assessed the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of TMS in this patient population. ⋯ There were significant improvements in cognition following active rTMS in the areas of working memory (p = 0.021) and executive function (p = 0.029). rTMS was shown to be safe and well tolerated in patients who had developed depression after a TBI. We did not find a therapeutic effect for post-TBI depression; however, this approach may have some utility in improving cognitive function. Future research should focus on alternative rTMS treatment approaches for post-TBI depression and the direct investigation of rTMS as a treatment for cognitive impairment in TBI.