Baseline resting EEG measures differentiate rTMS treatment responders and non-responders.

BackgroundRepetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been increasingly used worldwide in the treatment of depression, however, we currently lack the means to reliably predict whether patients will respond to the treatment. Recent research suggests that the neurophysiological measures of beta power and correlation dimension may have predictive potential, however, studies of beta power and correlation dimension to differentiate rTMS group response in individuals with major depression are limited. MethodsFifty treatment-resistant patients with major depressive disorder were recruited. Forty-two participants underwent baseline resting EEG sessions and 5-8 weeks of rTMS treatments and 12 participants were responders to the treatment. Beta power and correlation dimension from baseline resting EEG were compared between responders and non-responders. ResultsResponders demonstrated significantly lower beta power in baseline resting EEG, however, correlation dimension did not show a significant difference between groups. LimitationsThere were a small number of responders in this study. ConclusionBaseline resting beta power may help to differentiate responders from non-responders to rTMS treatment. However, further studies are needed with larger sample sizes.