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Updated Review on the Clinical Use of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Psychiatric Disorders

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Abstract

With the ability to modulate cortical activity, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is becoming increasingly important in clinical applications for psychiatric disorders. Previous studies have demonstrated its promising efficacy in depression and schizophrenia, and emerging evidence has also been found in patients with anxiety disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorder, and substance or food craving. However, the overall literature features some conflicting results, varied quality of studies, and a lack of consensus on optimal rTMS parameters. Besides, the efficacy of rTMS in patients with medication-resistant symptoms has drawn most attention from clinicians. Here we review multi-site studies and double-blind randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in single sites, as well as meta-analyses of RCTs in the last three years, in order to update evidence on efficacy and the optimal protocol of rTMS in psychiatric disorders, especially for medication-resistant symptoms.

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Acknowledgements

This review was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81501152 and 81671332), the National Key Basic Research and Development Program, Ministry of Science and Technology, China (2016YFC1306800, 2016YFC1306803), the Brain Project of Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, China (2015NKX001, 15ZH2015, and W35XT), and Shanghai Hospital Development Center, China (SHDC12014111).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders (No. 13dz2260500), Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200030, China

    Qian Guo, Chunbo Li & Jijun Wang

  2. Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China

    Chunbo Li & Jijun Wang

  3. Brain Science and Technology Research Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China

    Chunbo Li & Jijun Wang

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Correspondence to Jijun Wang.

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Guo, Q., Li, C. & Wang, J. Updated Review on the Clinical Use of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Psychiatric Disorders. Neurosci. Bull. 33, 747–756 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-017-0185-3

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