Pubblicazioni

Affective state-dependent effects of prefrontal rTMS on the cognitive control of negative stimuli in healthy and depressed individuals

Panevaum, J.; Schuhmannun, T.; Smeta, S. De; Mezaun, T. De; Dueckerun, F.; Saccoa, A. T.

Abstract:

Introduction: high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC) is an established, clinically effective treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). However, evidence of the cognitive effects of lDLPFC HF-rTMS, especially those cognitive functions affected by MDD, is mixed. Methods: we here assessed the cognitive effects of a single, offline, 10Hz rTMS session on task performance in an emotional faces N-back (EFNBACK) task, in both healthy and depressed individuals. We measured response times, accuracy, and sensitivity, in a sham-controlled, pre-post design. Importantly, using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), we assessed whether the cognitive effects of the stimulation are state-dependent on trait-state depression. Results: we found lDLPFC HF-rTMS enhanced cognitive control over angry distractors. More importantly, these cognitive control effects were state-dependent on trait-state depression. HF-rTMS produced distinct performance changes dependent on baseline BDI-II scores. As a function of BDI-II scores, we observed either increased or decreased response times on the task. Further, we observed improved accuracy and sensitivity only on angry distractor trials as BDI-II scores increased, as a consequence of lDLPFC stimulation. Conclusion: these results underscore the role of HF-rTMS in enhancing executive control over negative emotional information by modulating lDLPFC, with effects varying according to depression state at the moment of the treatment session. HF-rTMS thus not only enhances inhibitory control over emotional stimuli but also exhibits such cognitive effects contingent on depressive state, contributing to our understanding of the state-dependence of therapeutic rTMS.

Patologie/Applicazioni:

• Depressione
• Stimolazione Magnetica Transcranica (TMS)

Anno:

2025

Tipo di pubblicazione:

Articolo

Parola chiave:

TMS; stimolazione magnetica transcranica; depressione maggiore; rTMS

Testata scientifica:

Brain stimulation

Mese:

05

Nota:

Lo studio cerca di chiarire gli aspetti cognitivi del protocollo standard per il trattamento della depressione, cercando di quantificare questo aspetto secondario tramite una singola seduta di rTMS erogata prima di un task cognitivo (N-back test). Il test è stato condotto sia su soggetti sani che su individui affetti da depressione maggiore utilizzando uno stimolatore magnetico MagPro X100 e una bobina Cool-B65. Sia l’accuratezza delle risposte al test che la velocità di reazione sono state misurate e confrontate in soggetti con diversi indici depressivi, divisi tra gruppo trattato e gruppo sham. Lo studio suggerisce un risultato diverso della seduta rTMS su pazienti sani e depressi.

DOI:

10.1016/j.brs.2025.04.002