EFFECTS OF REPETITIVE TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION OF THE LEFT DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX ON SYMPTOM DOMAINS IN MOOD DISORDERS

Abstract Objectives The primary objective of this study is to investigate the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on symptom domains in mood disorders. Specifically, we endeavor to characterize the alterations of mood symptoms and clarify if improvement in mood symptoms is concurrently associated with enhancements in social cognition abilities in individual cases. Methods Individuals diagnosed with unipolar or bipolar depression participated in a series of 12 sessions of 10 Hz rTMS directed at the left DLPFC, with an 8-week follow-up. Evaluation of mood symptoms and social cognition abilities was conducted utilizing the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS- 24) and the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). Results The study was completed by forty-four depressed patients (20 bipolar and 24 unipolar) with an average age of 45.43±2.505. The mean baseline HDRS-24 total score was observed at 26.39±0.744, which significantly reduced to 9.64±1.126 posttreatment (p <0.001), and further declined to 9.25±1.101 at the 4-week follow-up (p <0.001), and 9.55±1.446 at the 8-week follow-up (p <0.001). The significant decrease in the total score of HDRS was attributed to the decline in the subscores of individual items, except for items 17, 19, 20, and 21. Comparing the item-level changes between bipolar and unipolar depression groups, significant differences in changes emerge in questions 2, 3, 6, 15, and 16. The average baseline MSCEIT total score was 86.57±1.668, which then decreased to 82.00±2.574 at the 8-week follow-up (p = 0.124). The score changes of HDRS-24 and its items were found uncorrelated to the score changes of MSCEIT and its components at the 8-week follow-up. Conclusions This research has the potential to contribute significantly to refining rTMS treatment strategies for patients with mood disorders, which may lead to enhanced clinical outcomes.