TITLE
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of the Right Parietal Cortex for Comorbid Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Insomnia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Pilot Study
SOURCE
Brain Stimulation. 11(5):1103-1109, 2018 Sep – Oct.
AUTHORS
Huang Z; Li Y; Bianchi MT; Zhan S; Jiang F; Li N; Ding Y; Hou Y; Wang L; Ouyang Q; Wang Y.
BACKGROUND
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been considered to be a promising technique for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. However, little is known about the effectiveness of rTMS in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Moreover, treatment data on comorbid GAD and insomnia remain lacking. The aim of this study was to examine the therapeutic effects of 1Hz rTMS applied over the right parietal lobe on both anxiety and insomnia symptoms in patients with comorbid GAD and insomnia.
METHODS
36 patients were randomized to either sham or active rTMS group (n=18 each group). The rTMS was administered over the right posterior parietal cortex (P4 electrode site) at a frequency of 1Hz and an intensity of 90% of the resting motor threshold.
RESULTS
Ten days of 1Hz rTMS to the right parietal lobe significantly improved both anxiety and insomnia symptoms in the active group. Although the anxiety severity was not significantly correlated with insomnia severity at baseline, the improvement in the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HRSA) scores were positively correlated with improvement in the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores.
CONCLUSIONS
The present study is the first randomized sham-controlled study to assess the effectiveness of low frequency rTMS on the right parietal lobe in patients with comorbid GAD and insomnia. Our results suggested that 1Hz low frequency rTMS administered over the parietal cortex is effective for both anxiety and insomnia symptoms in patients with comorbid GAD and insomnia.
Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
