Frontiers in Psychiatry (May 2017)

Acute Frontal Lobe Dysfunction Following Prefrontal Low-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in a Patient with Treatment-Resistant Depression

  • Guilhem Carle,
  • Guilhem Carle,
  • Guilhem Carle,
  • Mehdi Touat,
  • Mehdi Touat,
  • Nicolas Bruno,
  • Nicolas Bruno,
  • Damien Galanaud,
  • Damien Galanaud,
  • Charles-Siegfried Peretti,
  • Charles-Siegfried Peretti,
  • Antoni Valero-Cabré,
  • Antoni Valero-Cabré,
  • Antoni Valero-Cabré,
  • Antoni Valero-Cabré,
  • Richard Levy,
  • Richard Levy,
  • Richard Levy,
  • Carole Azuar,
  • Carole Azuar,
  • Carole Azuar

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00096
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8

Abstract

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The potential of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to treat numerous neurological and psychiatric disorders has been thoroughly studied for the last two decades. Here, we report for the first time, the case of a 65-year-old woman suffering from treatment-resistant depression who developed an acute frontal lobe syndrome following eight sessions of low-frequency rTMS (LF-rTMS) to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex while also treated with sertraline and mianserin. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying such an unexpected acute frontal lobe dysfunction are discussed in relation to the therapeutic use of LF-rTMS in combination with pharmacotherapy in depressed patients.

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