A grand summary of the results of the TMS treatment in depression survey has been compiled by Dr David Avery and Dr Mark George.
| Marty Szuba mailed me a couple of pictures from the TMS 1997 meeting in Interlaken. Click on the little pics to see a larger version. |   |
The Yale Department of Psychiatry is looking for a fellow for the study of OCD and Affective Disorders. The department has a rich tradition in the clinical study of the serotonin system in these disorders. Additionally, an active rTMS program is developing, to be employed in both of these illnesses. Interested trainees should contact Rob Berman, MD.
Dr David Avery writes: At the Interlaken meeting, I thought it would be useful for all of us who are testing TMS in the treatment of depression to find out what parameters other researchers are using (and what parameters are not being tested). I am compiling a database of these parameters and will share the database. I think that about 17 groups have used or are about to use TMS in depression. The database should facilitate communcation and allow our field to determine safe and effective parameters more rapidly. I was unable to contact all the researchers at the meeting so we will have to rely on email to gather this information. I have chosen some variables which are of interest. If anyone thinks other variables should be added, please let me know. Those of you who have not contacted me, please send me information about the following variables:
Intensity (% motor threshold); frequency (Hz); train duration; intertrain interval; trains per session; number of sessions; total number of pulses; EMG monitoring during stimulation; location of stimulation; machine used (Cadwell,Magstim, Dantec); coil type; type of depression; controlled study?; general design; are subjects drug free? neuropsych testing? MRI? EEG? fMRI? SPECT? PET?
Professor Alvaro Pascual-Leone's team have published their double-blind trial of rTMS at various sites in depression in the Lancet, reporting a reduction in self-rated and clinician-rated symptoms after stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. See the table below for more details, and the article itself for the whole story (Lancet 1996;348:233-238).
A recent review by Kirkcaldie, Pridmore and Pascual-Leone (ANZ J Psychiatry 1997;31:264-272) outlines the progress of clinical trials of TMS in depression. A tabular summary of the articles reviewed is here.
Click the links in the Interests column to read more.
| Institution | Location | Contact | Interests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Eric Bastings | Brain plasticity after stroke, mapping; we are also trying to develop a depression study group. |
| Human Cortical Physiology Unit | NIH, Maryland USA | Leonardo G. Cohen | Brain plasticity, TMS |
| Psychiatric Neuroimaging Group | University Hospital, Bern | A/Prof Thomas Schläpfer | Geriatric depression, cellular activation, psychophysics |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre | MA, USA | A/Prof Alvaro Pascual-Leone | Depression, functional mapping, cortical excitation |
| Sheba Medical Centre | Israel | Prof Leon Grunhaus | Depression; TMS-ECT comparisons |
| The BioMag Institute | Finland | Dr Risto Ilmoniemi | Multichannel stimulation; MEG |
| Yale University | CT, USA | Dr Rob Berman | Depression |
| National Institute of Health | MD, USA | Dr Eric Wassermann | Various |
| Medical University of South Carolina | SC, USA | Dr Mark George | Depression, mapping, imaging |
| Royal Edinburgh Hospital | Scotland, UK | Dr Klaus Ebmeier | Depression |
| TMS-POD | Australia | Prof Saxby Pridmore | Depression, cellular effects |
Reports and announcements concerning conferences on TMS have been collected on a special conference page.
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