Long-Term Efficacy of Combination Therapy of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Ketamine for Patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression
CNS Spectrums April 1, 2021 Steve Best, Dan G. Pavel, Natalie Haustrup 1 citation
Combining repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with intravenous ketamine infusions—called combination TMS with ketamine (CTK)—produced substantial and lasting reductions in depressive symptoms for 28 adults with treatment-resistant depression. Patients received three CTK sessions per week, with rTMS applied to the mid-prefrontal area and ketamine doses adjusted by biomarker levels. Symptom severity, measured by the Clinical Global Impression scale, dropped significantly after treatment, and the improvement persisted for at least two years. The findings suggest CTK may help patients who have not responded to other treatments, but randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the results.