Effectiveness of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS )as an augmenting agent in Treatment Resistant Depression

The study will be conducted at the Department of Psychiatry, CEIMH, ABVIMS, and Dr. RML Hospital, New Delhi. It is designed as a prospective interventional study, focusing on patients with depression secondary to chronic medical illness. Following ethical clearance, participants aged 18-65 who met DSM-5 criteria for depression, had HAM-D scores greater than 8, and were resistant to two antidepressant trials were recruited. Exclusion criteria were comorbid psychotic disorders, epilepsy, substance abuse, metal implants, pregnancy, and recent brain stimulation or psychosurgery. Eligible participants, who met the inclusion criteria, were informed about the study’s purpose, duration, and potential benefits and risks. No compensation was provided. Informed consent was obtained using an Ethics Committee-approved form, with relatives encouraged to participate for comprehensive data collection.

Consenting subjects and their unaffected relatives will be assessed using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), HAM-D, PSQI, and MoCA. rTMS sessions will be  conducted over two weeks, with 10 sessions targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (F3). Depression, cognitive impairment, and sleep quality were evaluated at baseline, two weeks post-treatment, and four weeks post-treatment. Participants were fully informed about the rTMS procedure and shown an educational video. Data were analyzed and compared after the study’s completion.

previous similaCTRI registered studies

CTRI/2018/02/011890

CTRi/2024/01/061590