A Systematic Review Assessing Patient-Related Predictors of Response to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Major Depressive Disorder.

OBJECTIVE

The safety and efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in the acute treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) is well established. However, it is not well understood which patient-related factors are associated with a more robust antidepressant response. Identifying predictive factors for therapeutic response to TMS treatment in depression will guide clinicians in patient selection.

METHODS

By systematic review of clinical trial data, the current study aims to identify and analyze reported patient-specific predictors of response to an acute course of TMS treatment for MDD. PubMed was searched for randomized controlled trials of TMS for patients with depression. Studies were appraised for risk of bias using components recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.

RESULTS

TMS data were available from 375 studies, 18 of which were included in this review. Treatment response is inversely associated with treatment refractoriness and age.

CONCLUSION

Inadequate sample size and large heterogeneity in study parameters among clinical trials limit any strong conclusions from being drawn; nonetheless, despite these limitations, there is mounting evidence, which points to age and treatment refractoriness as candidate variables for predicting clinical outcome. Implications of these findings for treatment of MDD are discussed.