In Older Adults the Antidepressant Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Is Similar but Occurs Later Than in Younger Adults

Gonçalo Cotovio; Aaron D. Boes; Daniel Z. Press; Albino J. Oliveira-Maia; Alvaro Pascual-Leone

doi:10.3389/fnagi.2022.919734

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In Older Adults the Antidepressant Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Is Similar but Occurs Later Than in Younger Adults

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In Older Adults the Antidepressant Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Is Similar but Occurs Later Than in Younger Adults

Gonçalo Cotovio, Aaron D. Boes, Daniel Z. Press, Albino J. Oliveira-Maia and Alvaro Pascual-Leone

Frontiers in aging neuroscience, Vol.14, 919734

07/01/2022

DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.919734

PMCID: PMC9343621

PMID: 35928992

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Abstract

BackgroundTreatment resistant depression is common in older adults and treatment is often complicated by medical comorbidities and polypharmacy. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a treatment option for this group due to its favorable profile. However, early influential studies suggested that rTMS is less effective in older adults. This evidence remains controversial.MethodsHere, we evaluated the rTMS treatment outcomes in a large international multicenter naturalistic cohort of >500 patients comparing older vs. younger adults.ResultsWe show that older adults, while having similar antidepressant response to younger adults, respond more slowly, which may help to explain differences from earlier studies when the duration of a treatment course was shorter.ConclusionsSuch evidence helps to resolve a long-standing controversy in treating older depressed patients with rTMS. Moreover, these findings provide an important data point in the call to revise policy decisions from major insurance providers that have unfairly excluded older adults.

depression

efficacy

naturalistic study

older adults

transcranial magnetic stimulation

Details

Title: Subtitle: In Older Adults the Antidepressant Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Is Similar but Occurs Later Than in Younger Adults
Creators: Gonçalo Cotovio - Champalimaud Foundation
Aaron D. Boes - University of Iowa
Daniel Z. Press - Berenson Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation
Albino J. Oliveira-Maia - Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Alvaro Pascual-Leone - Harvard Medical School
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Frontiers in aging neuroscience, Vol.14, 919734
DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.919734
PMID: 35928992
PMCID: PMC9343621
NLM abbreviation: Front Aging Neurosci
eISSN: 1663-4365
Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A
Language: English
Date published: 07/01/2022
Academic Unit: Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering; Neurology; Psychiatry; Stead Family Department of Pediatrics; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Neurology (Pediatrics)
Record Identifier: 9984276460302771

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