Effect of rTMS on the efficacy and cognitive function of adolescents with depression

Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation （rTMS） on the efficacy and cognitive function of adolescents with depression.MethodsA total of sixty adolescent depression patients who met the diagnostic criteria of the International Classification of Diseases， tenth edition （ICD-10） and were admitted to the psychological outpatient clinic of the Affiliated Hospital of North China University of Technology from September 2021 to March 2022 were selected for the study， and the random number table method was used to divide the study group （escitalopram oxalate combined with rTMS treatment） and a control group （escitalopram oxalate combined with rTMS pseudo-stimulation treatment） of 30 cases each， and both groups were treated for 4 weeks. Before treatment and at 1， 2， 3 and 4 weeks of treatment， patients' depressive symptoms were assessed using the scores and subtraction rates of the Hamilton Depression Scale-24 item （HAMD-24）， and before treatment and after 4 weeks of treatment， cognitive function was assessed using the Motion Screening Task （MOT）， Rule Switch Task （RST） and Delayed Matching-to-Sample （DMS） task of the Zhiyun Neuropsychological Automated Test System assessment. Adverse effects during treatment were recorded in both groups.ResultsRepeated measures ANOVA results showed statistically significant time main effects， group main effects， and the interaction between the two groups for HAMD-24 scores before treatment and after 1， 2， 3 and 4 weeks of treatment in patients （F=522.021， 39.905， 26.412， P<0.05）. Individual effect analysis showed statistically significant differences in HAMD-24 scores between the two groups after 2， 3 and 4 weeks of treatment （t=-12.784~-2.776， P<0.01）. After 4 weeks of treatment， the total effective rate of treatment in the study group was higher than that in the control group （93.33% vs. 73.33%， χ2=4.320， P<0.05）， and the differences in each indicator of RST and DMS between the two groups were statistically significant compared with those before treatment （t=-5.616~9.135， P<0.05 or 0.01）， and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant （t=-4.823~5.518， P<0.05 or 0.01）.ConclusionrTMS may help improve depressive symptoms as well as cognitive function in adolescents with depression.

Keywords

• adolescents
• depression
• cognitive function
• repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation