Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation alters resting-state neurophysiological traits in major depressive disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent and debilitating health conditions worldwide; unfortunately, many patients do not respond to traditional antidepressant medication or talk therapy approaches. Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (Deep TMS) has emerged as an effective treatment option for such “treatment-resistant” cases; however, the mechanisms by which Deep TMS attenuates depressive symptoms are still ambiguous. In the current study, resting-state quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) measures were assessed pre-and-post treatment to illustrate neurophysiological changes resulting from Deep TMS. The results showed reduced slow-frequency brain activity (delta and theta waves) in the prefrontal cortex following 36 treatments. Additionally, baseline QEEG measures predicted treatment response with 93 % accuracy. These findings provide preliminary evidence that TMS improves depressive symptoms by mitigating slow-wave brain activity in the prefrontal cortex. Deep TMS paired with QEEG should continue to be utilized for treatment of MDD in clinical practice and future studies should explore its potential for other neuropsychiatric conditions. •Thirty-six sessions of Deep TMS led to significant reductions in depression from pre-treatment to post-treatment.•TMS led to significant reductions in slow-wave brain activity in prefrontal regions as measured by resting-state QEEG.•Prefrontal QEEG values at baseline discriminated responders from non-responders with 93 % accuracy