Analysis of Brain Functional Changes in High-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Treatment-Resistant Depression

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a treatment procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain, and is associated with significant improvements in clinical symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD). The effect of rTMS treatment on the brain can be evaluated by cordance, a quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) method that extracts information from absolute and relative power of EEG spectra. In this study, to analyze brain functional changes, pre- and post-rTMS, QEEG data were collected from 6 frontal electrodes (Fp1, Fp2, F3, F4, F7, and F8) in 2 slow bands (delta and theta) for 55 MDD subjects. To examine brain changes, cordance scores were determined, using repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). High-frequency rTMS was associated with cordance decrease in left frontal and right prefrontal regions in both delta and theta for nonresponders; it was associated with cordance increase in all right and left frontal electrodes, except F8, for responders.