Principles of patients selection and safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation - position statement of the Section of Biological Psychiatry of the Polish Psychiatric Association. / Zasady kwalifikacji pacjentów i zasady bezpieczenstwa stosowania terapii przezczaszkowa stymulacja magnetyczna seria bodzców ­ stanowisko Sekcji Biologicznej Polskiego Towarzystwa Psychiatrycznego.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a method of noninvasive brain stimulation developed since the 1980s. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is one of the methods of noninvasive brain stimulation, which is increasingly used to treat psychiatric disorders. Recent years witnessed a dynamic growth in the number of sites offering therapy with rTMS and of the interest of patients in this method in Poland. This article presents the position statement of the working group of the Section of Biological Psychiatry of the Polish Psychiatric Association concerning the proper patients selection and safety of use of rTMS in the therapy of psychiatric conditions. Before starting to use rTMS, the involved personnel should undergo a period of training in one of the centers with relevant experience. Equipment dedicated to perform rTMS should be appropriately certified. The main therapeutic indication is depression, including drug-resistant patients. rTMS may also be used in obsessive-compulsive disorder, negative symptoms and auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia, nicotine addiction, cognitive and behavioral disturbances in Alzheimer's disease, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The strength of magnetic stimuli and the overall dosing of stimulation must be based on the recommendations of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. The main contraindications are the metal elements in the body, especially medical electronic devices near the stimulating coil, epilepsy, hearing loss, structural changes in the brain, which may be associated with epileptogenic foci, pharmacotherapy, which lowers the seizure threshold, and pregnancy. The main side effects are induction of epileptic seizure, syncope, pain and discomfort during stimulation, as well as induction of manic or hypomanic episodes. The respective management is described in the article.

Efficacy of non-invasive brain stimulation in decreasing depression symptoms during the peripartum period: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques have been suggested as alternative treatments to decrease depression symptoms during the perinatal period. These include brain stimulation techniques that do not require surgery and that are nonpharmacological and non-psychotherapeutic. NIBS with evidence of antidepressant effects include repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), transcranial electric stimulation (TES) and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aims to summarize evidence on NIBS efficacy, safety and acceptability in treating peripartum depression (PPD). METHODS: We included randomized, non-randomized and case reports, that used NIBS during pregnancy and the postpartum. The reduction of depressive symptoms and neonatal safety were the primary and co-primary outcomes, respectively. RESULTS: rTMS shows promising results for the treatment of PPD, with clinically significant decreases in depressive symptoms between baseline and end of treatment and overall good acceptability. Although the safety profile for rTMS is adequate in the postpartum, caution is warranted during pregnancy. In TES, evidence on efficacy derives mostly from single-arm studies, compromising the encouraging findings. Further investigation is necessary concerning ECT, as clinical practice relies on clinical experience and is only described in low-quality case-reports. LIMITATIONS: The reduced number of controlled studies, the lack of complete datasets and the serious/high risk of bias of the reports warrant cautious interpretations. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Existing evidence is limited across NIBS techniques; comparative studies are lacking, and standard stimulation parameters are yet to be established. Although rTMS benefits from the most robust research, future multicenter randomized clinical trials are needed to determine the position of each NIBS strategy within the pathways of care.

Efficacy of rTMS in decreasing postnatal depression symptoms: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) has been suggested as an alternative treatment to postnatal depression (PPD). OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aims to examine and summarise evidence on rTMS efficacy in treating depression during the postnatal period. METHODS: We included randomized and non-randomized, single arm, and case report studies, with active rTMS and theta-burst stimulation, sham rTMS, pharmacotherapy or no treatment as comparators. Participants included women with PPD, who were administered rTMS after delivery and up to 12 months postpartum. The observed outcomes were response rate and acceptability. RESULTS: rTMS shows promising results, with clinically significant decreases in Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores at week 4 and an overall low risk of dropout. LIMITATIONS: The reduced number of reports, the lack of complete datasets and the serious/high risk of bias of the studies warrant cautious interpretations. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Despite the promising results, existing evidence on rTMS efficacy is limited, and questions remain on what the most beneficial stimulation parameters should be. Future multicentre randomized clinical trials are needed to better ascertain the clinical efficacy of rTMS in the treatment of depression in the postpartum period.

Are there clinical and neurophysiologic predictive factors for a positive response to HF-rTMS in patients with treatment-resistant depression?

Better selection of patients with treatment-resistant depression for high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) would make the procedure more efficient. The objective of this study was to search for clinical and neurophysiologic predictors of therapeutic response with a special focus on the bipolar population. Forty patients (30 bipolar) underwent 20 daily sessions of HF-rTMS. Clinical outcome measures included the 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Clinical Global Impression, and the Patient Global Impression. Neurophysiologic measurements included repeated estimation of the motor threshold and cortical silent period. Improvement was obtained in all psychometric scales, with no difference between unipolar and bipolar patients. Longer duration of the illness, higher number of prior hospitalizations, and more disturbed activity were associated with a worse response to rTMS, and somatic anxiety, sleep disorders, and health worries were positive predictors. In bipolar patients, longer disease duration and therapy with mirtazapine, mianserin, trazodone, hydroxyzine, and promethazine were associated with a worse response. Sleep disturbances, higher baseline motor threshold, and longer cortical silent period predicted a better response. In this study, we found several clinical and neurophysiologic predictors of better/worse responses to the standard HF-rTMS protocol. Our preliminary data need to be reproduced.

The influence of the repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on sleep quality in depression. / Wplyw przezczaszkowej stymulacji magnetycznej seria bodzców na jakosc snu chorych na depresje.

OBJECTIVES: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) improves mood in depression. In this study we investigated whether the depression-related insomnia is modulated by this therapeutic method. METHODS: We examined 13 patients (mean age 50.6±13.9; 11 women) with bipolar or unipolar depression. During 20 consecutive days, excluding Saturdays and Sundays, they underwent 20 daily sessions of 10 Hz rTMS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Outcome measurement included the Clinical Global Impression (CGI), the 21item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) as well as sleep diary and actigraphy. RESULTS: After rTMS, the CGI and HDRS total score decreased significantly. Also, the insomnia-related items of HDRS improved. The AIS showed trend towards decrease. No significant changes were present in sleep diaries and actigraphy. CONCLUSIONS: The beneficial effect of rTMS on the mood in depression has been confirmed. The rest of the results suggest high frequency rTMS to the left DLPFC does not have strong effects on sleep quality in patients with depression. Additional interventions or modification of the rTMS protocol should be considered to improve insomnia in these patients.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation in treatment of various psychiatric disorders - review of the most prominent studies and the latest news.

The aim of this paper was to present the current use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in psychiatric disorders with the mode of its application and results of most prominent studies. The most robust data concerns its use in major depressive disorder, while in other psychiatric disorders results are preliminary. TMS with the development of new techniques and new treatment protocols has a potential to become a very useful treatment tool in pharmacoresistant patients or patients intolerant of pharmacotherapy.

[Difficult road to diagnosing dementia with lewy bodies (DLB). case report]. / Trudna droga do rozpoznania otepienia z cialami Lewy'ego. opis przypadku.

AIM: The main aim of the study was to present the case of a patient with neurological, depressive and psychotic symptoms, most probably connected with progressing dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). METHOD: The systematic symptom analysis based on the clinical examination and medical documentation. RESULTS: During the first hospitalisation, the presented patient was diagnosed with acute and transient psychotic disorders (F23). After being discharged from the ward, the patient experienced recurrence of previous symptoms with a short period of time. The two following diagnoses after hospital treatment were established as a depressive episode with psychotic symptoms. During the fourth hospitalisation, the patient was diagnosed with organic delusional (schizophrenia-like) disorder (F06.2). After six years, thorough analysis of clinical history as well as the course of existing disorder made it possible to diagnose the patient as having dementia with Lewy bodies-DLB (F02.8). Since that time, the patient has been taking rivastigmine, which has turned out to be a successful treatment. It has been 6 months since the patient left the hospital and still remains in remission. Social functioning of the woman is similar to the period before the first episode. CONCLUSIONS: The presented case demonstrates, that DLB symptomatology is a difficult problem in everyday psychiatric practice. A differential diagnosis of psychopathological and neurological symptoms covers many disorders, which together, with the clinical picture variation may delay effective treatment.

[Jerusalem syndrome - a case report]. / Syndrom jerozolimski - opis przypadku.

AIM: The aim of the paper was to present the case of a patient who developed acute psychotic symptoms on her visit to Jerusalem. METHOD: The analysis of the clinical case and medical history. RESULTS: The presented 62-year-old women with a history of previous psychiatric disorder arrived with her husband to Jerusalem as a part of organised touristic group. She developed acute psychotic reaction through some stages characteristic for the third type of Jerusalem syndrome. Symptoms resolved completely soon after returning to Poland and admission to the hospital where an antipsychotic treatment was performed. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the rare occurrence of this phenomenon, it is worth noting that we can divide Jerusalem syndrome into three types depending on its clinical course, patient's history of previous psychiatric disorders and this division has some clinical implications. This syndrome can be also considered in the context of some factors connected with travelling in general which may be responsible for psychiatric disturbances occurring among travelers. The course of psychiatric disturbances in the presented patient resembled the third type of Jerusalem syndrome despite her past psychiatric history and probably travelling caused her decompensations. In clinical practice we have to remember that in case of the patients with a known psychiatric history, clinical evaluation may be useful before travelling. In previously healthy patients developing the third type of the Jerusalem syndrome early intervention and separation from Jerusalem and its holy places and their contact with family are crucial for soon recovery.