Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Apr 1;3(2):e187.
doi: 10.1002/pcn5.187. eCollection 2024 Jun.

Effects of routine repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on the sleep duration of patients with treatment-resistant depression: A prospective cohort study

Khosro Sadeghniiat  1 , Jayran Zebardast  2 , Mohammadamin Parsaei  3 , Homa Seyedmirzaei  3   4 , Mohammad Arbabi  1 , Ahmad Ali Noorbala  1 , Sahar Ansari  1
Affiliations

Effects of routine repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on the sleep duration of patients with treatment-resistant depression: A prospective cohort study

Khosro Sadeghniiat et al. PCN Rep. .

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term and long-term effects of routine repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the sleep duration, depressive symptoms, and quality of life of patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 25 participants with TRD were assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and four sleep duration components of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Depression severity was measured with Hamilton's Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI-II), and patient-perceived quality of life with the 36-Item Short-Form Survey (SF-36). All of these measures were evaluated at baseline (T0), and immediately (T1), 6 weeks (T2), and 12 weeks (T3) after the end of intervention.

Results: At T1 endpoint, HDRS, BDI, SF-36, ISI, and three PSQI items (time to wake up, time taken to fall asleep, and Real Sleep Time) significantly improved, though these gains were reduced at follow-up endpoints (T2 and T3). Adjusting for confounders (age, sex, occupational status, BMI, and hypnotic medication) revealed that only improvements in HDRS, BDI, and time taken to fall asleep at T1 remained statistically significant. Linear regression analyses showed no significant association between reduced time taken to fall asleep and depression symptoms, suggesting rTMS can independently enhance this parameter, irrespective of depression resolution.

Conclusion: Routine rTMS therapy can potentially enhance sleep duration in TRD individuals, alongside improved depressive symptoms and quality of life. However, these benefits tend to decrease over long-term follow-up, emphasizing a more pronounced short-term efficacy of rTMS.

Keywords: insomnia; major depressive disorders; sleep; transcranial magnetic stimulation; treatment‐resistant depression.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of patients with different levels of (a,b) depression and (c) insomnia across the study endpoints. BDI‐II, Beck's Depression Inventory; ISI, Insomnia Severity Index; HDRS, Hamilton's Depression Rating Scale.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Alterations in the mean values for (a) 36‐Item Short‐Form Survey (SF‐36), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) (b) time to go to bed, (c) time to wake up, (d) time taken to fall asleep, and (e) real sleep time throughout the study course.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Mann SK, Malhi NK. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing LLC.; 2023. - PubMed
    1. Adu MK, Eboreime E, Sapara AO, Greenshaw AJ, Chue P, Agyapong VIO. The use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment of obsessive‐compulsive disorder: a scoping review. Ment Illn. 2021;13(1):1–13. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Karrouri R, Hammani Z, Benjelloun R, Otheman Y. Major depressive disorder: validated treatments and future challenges. World J Clin Cases. 2021;9(31):9350–9367. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bouaziz N, Laidi C, Bulteau S, Berjamin C, Thomas F, Moulier V, et al. Real world transcranial magnetic stimulation for major depression: a multisite, naturalistic, retrospective study. J Affect Disord. 2023;326:26–35. - PubMed
    1. Zrenner B, Zrenner C, Gordon PC, Belardinelli P, McDermott EJ, Soekadar SR, et al. Brain oscillation‐synchronized stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in depression using real‐time EEG‐triggered TMS. Brain Stimul. 2020;13(1):197–205. - PubMed