Implications of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Geriatric Patients With Pseudodementia

This report discusses the case of a female in her 80s with treatment-resistant depression and increasing cognitive decline in recent years. The patient had performed normally on mini-mental status exams (MMSE), had unremarkable CT scans, and been diagnosed with pseudodementia. She had been referred to psychiatry and received multiple courses of different antidepressants and mood-stabilizing medications. However, due to a lack of benefits over time and increasing concern about compliance, she had been referred to a clinic providing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which had only recently become available in the region. Following a course of 36 treatments over three months, the patient's cognitive decline resolved, depression symptoms improved, and her family noted that she was back to her normal self.