Clinical Usefulness of Therapeutic Neuromodulation for Major Depression: A Systematic Meta-Review of Recent Meta-Analyses

Article Date: 2018-07-17 (Revised: 2019-01-22)
Authors: McGirr A, Berlim MT
PMID Link: 30098660

Journal Information
Title: The Psychiatric clinics of North America
Abbreviation: Psychiatr. Clin. North Am.
Volume: 41
Issue: 3
Date: 2018-09-01
Citation: Psychiatr. Clin. North Am. 2018 09;41(3):485-503

Abstract

The authors conducted a meta-review of meta-analyses published in the past decade on therapeutic neuromodulation (ie, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation and deep brain stimulation) for major depression. Active repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation have been generally associated with small to moderate effect sizes vis-à-vis their efficacy and with similar acceptability compared with sham. Vagus nerve stimulation and deep brain stimulation (although more challenging to investigate) have demonstrated preliminary effectiveness, particularly during longer-term follow-up.