Case Report: rTMS for recurrent major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder comorbid with atrial fibrillation
This paper examines the utilization of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to treat recurrent Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in a patient comorbid with atrial fibrillation (AF), a type of common heart arrhythmia. Symptoms of AF can increase the risk of MDD and GAD, negatively impacting quality of life. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is an FDA-approved modality for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (MDD) and has shown promise for off-label treatment of anxiety disorders. Quantitative psychometric questionnaires were administered weekly, using the PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7), which revealed symptom reductions of 55% and 22.2%, respectively.
Authors
- Abeer Prakash Singh
- Kenneth Blum (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6727-803X)
- Keerthy Sunder
- David Baron (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7670-2613)
- Charles Vigilia
- Mark Odron
- Vipul Reddy
- Manya Pappu
- Khimaya Raval
- Nadia Frutkin
Institutions
- University of California, Riverside (US)
- Eötvös Loránd University (HU)
- University of Vermont (US)
- Wright State University (US)
- College of the Desert (US)
- Assheuer + Pott (Germany) (DE)
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IN)
- International Charter School (US)
- International Neuromodulation Society (US)
- Western University of Health Sciences (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Psychiatry
- Published
- 2026-02-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1719274
- Primary Topic
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- Clinical Science Research and Development
- National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities