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Accelerated Intermittent Theta-Burst Stimulation Aids Treatment-Resistant Bipolar Depression

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on July 24, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, July 24, 2024 -- Accelerated intermittent theta-burst stimulation (aiTBS) is significantly more effective than sham stimulation for depressive symptom reduction in patients with treatment-resistant bipolar depression, according to a study published online July 10 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Yvette I. Sheline, M.D., from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, and colleagues assessed whether aiTBS is clinically effective for treatment-refractory bipolar depression. Analysis included 24 participants randomly assigned to active (12 patients) or sham (12 patients) aiTBS. The intervention included 10 sessions per day of imaging-guided active or sham aiTBS for five days with one session per hour at 90 percent resting motor threshold for 90,000 pulses total.

The researchers found that at one month follow-up, Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale scores were significantly lower in the active group (mean, 30.4 at baseline; 10.5 after treatment) than in the sham group (28.0 at baseline; 25.3 after treatment).

"The findings suggest that aiTBS in carefully selected patients offers a new treatment option for this difficult-to-treat illness," the authors write. "Further trials are needed to determine aiTBS durability and to compare with other treatments."

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Posted July 2024

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