Comparative study of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in therapy-resistant depressions

Abstract

In a comparative study of highQfrequency (15 Hz) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been evaluated their effectiveness in treatment-resistant depression (TRD) (N = 71). It was found that high-frequency TMS and ECT observed similar effect on responders rate in TRD (51.4 % / 64.7 %), but significantly inferior to TMS in terms of remission (27.0 % / 41.1 %). ECT was more effective than TMS in treatment of depressions with psychotic symptoms and marked anxiety symptoms. The main marker of the effectiveness of TMS was a young patient age (under 35 years). At follow-up assessment at 3 months noted a decrease differences between the groups due to the increase of responders in the group of patients treated with TMS.