Kirkcaldie M T, Pridmore S A, Pascual-Leone A
Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 1997 Apr;31(2):264-72. doi: 10.3109/00048679709073830.
To provide an overview of the progress and prospects of transcranial magnetic stimulation as a psychiatric therapy for depression.
Published and unpublished studies of the usefulness of transcranial magnetic stimulation as a therapy for depression were assessed, and characterised in terms of a consistent measure of dosage. Additional information was obtained through correspondence, personal meetings and visits to facilities.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation, a means for inducing small regional currents in the brain, has been used in clinical neurology for some time, and can be used on conscious subjects with minimal side-effects. Early researchers noticed transient mood effects on people receiving this treatment, which prompted several inconclusive investigations of its effects on depressed patients. More recently, knowledge of functional abnormalities associated with depression has led to trials using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to stimulate underactive left prefrontal regions, an approach which has produced short-term benefits for some subjects. The higher dosage delivered by high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation appears to produce greater benefits; scope exists for more conclusive studies based on extended treatment periods.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is a promising technology. The reviewed evidence indicates that it may be useful in the treatment of depression, and perhaps other disorders which are associated with regional hypometabolism. Should repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation prove an effective, non-invasive, drug-free treatment for depression, a range of disorders could be similarly treatable.
概述经颅磁刺激作为抑郁症精神治疗方法的进展与前景。
评估已发表和未发表的关于经颅磁刺激治疗抑郁症有效性的研究，并根据一致的剂量测量方法进行特征描述。通过通信、个人会面和实地考察获取更多信息。
经颅磁刺激是一种在大脑中诱导局部小电流的方法，已在临床神经学中应用一段时间，可用于清醒受试者，副作用极小。早期研究人员注意到接受该治疗的人会出现短暂的情绪影响，这促使对其对抑郁症患者的影响进行了几项无定论的调查。最近，与抑郁症相关的功能异常知识促使人们尝试使用重复经颅磁刺激来刺激左侧前额叶不活跃区域，这种方法已使一些受试者获得短期益处。高频重复经颅磁刺激提供的较高剂量似乎能产生更大益处；基于更长治疗期进行更具结论性研究的空间仍然存在。
重复经颅磁刺激是一项有前景的技术。综述证据表明，它可能对抑郁症治疗有用，或许对其他与局部代谢减退相关的疾病也有用。如果重复经颅磁刺激被证明是一种有效、无创、无药物的抑郁症治疗方法，一系列疾病可能同样可以得到治疗。
