Avaliação de fatores associados à duração do tratamento com a estimulação magnética transcraniana repetitiva na depressão
Roni Broder Cohen1, Felipe Fregni2, Paulo Sergio Boggio3
Study carried out at the Centro Brasileiro de Estimulação Magnética Transcraniana ? CBREMT, São Paulo (SP), Brazil.
1 Director of the Centro Brasileiro de Estimulação Magnética Transcraniana ?CBREMT, São Paulo (SP), Brazil.
2 Post-doctorate in Neurology; Professor at the Harvard Medical School, Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Boston (MA), USA.
3 PhD in Psychology; Lecturer and researcher at the Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde ? CCBS, Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie ? UPM, São Paulo (SP), Brazil.

ABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the effects of repetitive transcranial
magnetic stimulation in patients with major depression who were
submitted to this treatment during the period from 2000 to 2006.
Methods: A retrospective study with 204 patients who underwent
treatment with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, collecting
data from those who experienced remission (defined as a HDRS score
equal to or lower than 7). The patients were followed for up to 6 months
after treatment. Mean duration of remission for this cohort of patients
was 70.2 (± 58.4) days. Results: The only variable associated with
the duration of remission in the linear regression model was number
of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation sessions. Conclusion:
Our findings suggest that the greater the number of sessions, the longer
the duration of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation effects.
Consequently, future research investigating the effects of repetitive
transcranial magnetic stimulation should explore this variable in order
to maximize the therapeutic effects of this new brain stimulation
technique.

Keywords: Depression/therapy; Deep brain stimulation; Transcranial
magnetic stimulation; Risk factors