RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Major Depression (MD) and treatment-resistant depression (TRD) are worldwide leading causes of disability and therapeutic strategies for these impairing and prevalent conditions include pharmacological augmentation strategies and brain stimulation techniques. In this perspective, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique with a favorable profile of tolerability which, despite being recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with medication-refractory unipolar depression, still raises some doubts about most effective parameters of stimulation. METHODS: A literature search was performed using PubMed for the years 2001 through February 2011 in order to review meta-analytic studies assessing efficacy and safety issues for rTMS in depressive disorders. Fifteen meta-analyses were identified and critically discussed in order to provide an updated and comprehensive overview of the topic with specific emphasis on potentially optimal parameters of stimulation. RESULTS: First meta-analyses on the efficacy of rTMS for the treatment of MD and TRD have shown mixed results. On the other hand, more recent meta-analytic studies seem to support the antidepressant efficacy of the technique to a greater extent, also in light of longer periods of stimulation (e.g. > 2 weeks). CONCLUSION: rTMS seems to be an effective and safe brain stimulation technique for the treatment of medication refractory depression. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to better define specific stimulation-related issues, such as duration of treatment as well as durability of effects and predictors of response.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Several data indicate that the clinical course and treatment response of Bipolar Disorder (BD) is influenced by comorbidity. However, whether differences in comorbidity patterns exist in relation to classes of age remains debated. The present study was aimed to evaluate differences in terms of cross-sectional Axis I comorbidity among young (≤30 years), adult (>30 and ≤45 years) and older adult patients with BD (>45 years). METHODS: Study sample included 508 patients with BD, subdivided into 3 groups of age: ≤30 years (n=52), >30 and ≤45 years (n=186) and >45 years (n=270). Demographic and clinical variables, with specific emphasis on Axis I comorbidity, were compared across the different groups using chi-square tests. Furthermore, a binary logistic regression was performed. RESULTS: Two-hundred eleven patients (41.5%) showed at least another concomitant Axis I disorder. The 3 groups were homogenous in terms of type of diagnosis (type 1 or 2 BD) and gender. However, they were different in terms of cross-sectional Axis I comorbidity (p=0.001) with a higher frequency of substance abuse (p=0.04) and Anorexia (p=0.014) in young patients, and of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in adult patients (p=0.001). In addition, young patients showed more frequently the presence of a second comorbid Axis I condition compared to the other sub-groups (p=0.05). With regard to the type of abuse, young subjects were more frequently cannabis (p<0.001) and cocaine abusers (p<0.001) compared to the other subgroups. LIMITATIONS: Lifetime Axis I and Axis II and cross-sectional Axis II comorbidity patterns were not analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary results from the present exploratory study seem to suggest different profiles of cross-sectional Axis I comorbidity and abuse in bipolar patients in relation to age. This aspect should be taken into account for the choice of pharmacological treatments and global management in clinical practice.
