Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the right parietal cortex for comorbid generalized anxiety disorder and insomnia: A randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled pilot study

Brain Stimulation

Ning Li¹  Yue Li¹  Yuping Wang¹  Yan Ding²  Matt T. Bianchi³  Li Wang⁴  Shuqin Zhan⁴  Yue Hou⁵  Fengying Jiang⁶  Quping Ouyang⁶  Zhaoyang Huang⁶ 

[1] Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuromodulation, Beijing, China;Department of Neurology, Beijing Shunyi Hospital, Beijing, China;Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA;Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA;Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA;Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China;

关键词: Generalized anxiety disorder;    Insomnia;    Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation;    Right parietal cortex;    Attentional bias;    Emotion processing;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been considered to be a promising technique for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. However, little is known about the effectiveness of rTMS in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Moreover, treatment data on comorbid GAD and insomnia remain lacking. The aim of this study was to examine the therapeutic effects of 1 Hz rTMS applied over the right parietal lobe on both anxiety and insomnia symptoms in patients with comorbid GAD and insomnia. Methods: 36 patients were randomized to either sham or active rTMS group (n = 18 each group). The rTMS was administered over the right posterior parietal cortex (P4 electrode site) at a frequency of 1 Hz and an intensity of 90% of the resting motor threshold. Results: Ten days of 1 Hz rTMS to the right parietal lobe significantly improved both anxiety and insomnia symptoms in the active group. Although the anxiety severity was not significantly correlated with insomnia severity at baseline, the improvement in the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HRSA) scores were positively correlated with improvement in the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores. Conclusions: The present study is the first randomized sham-controlled study to assess the effectiveness of low frequency rTMS on the right parietal lobe in patients with comorbid GAD and insomnia. Our results suggested that 1 Hz low frequency rTMS administered over the parietal cortex is effective for both anxiety and insomnia symptoms in patients with comorbid GAD and insomnia.

【 授权许可】

Unknown