Synergistic use of deep TMS therapy with IV ketamine infusions for major depressive disorder: a pilot study.
Psychopharmacology July 1, 2024 Nathaniel A Shanok, Sabrina Muzac, Leah Brown et al. 7 citations
Major Depressive Disorder affects about 21 million U.S. adults, and 30-60% do not respond to standard treatments. Two promising options are transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and ketamine infusions, but they have rarely been studied together. In a non-randomized study, 169 participants with treatment-resistant depression received 36 sessions of Deep TMS alone, while 66 received the same TMS plus six intravenous ketamine infusions over nine weeks. Depressive symptoms, measured by the PHQ-9, decreased significantly in both groups from before to after treatment. The TMS-plus-ketamine group showed an 80.30% response rate and 43.42% remission rate, compared to 76.92% response and 39.64% remission with TMS alone. These differences were not statistically significant, indicating no added benefit from adding six ketamine sessions to TMS.