AUTHOR=Zhu Zhen , Zhu Hao-Xuan , Jing Shao-Wei , Li Xia-Zhen , Yang Xiao-Yan , Luo Tu-Nan , Ye Shuai , Ouyang Xiao-Chun , Song Wei-Wei 

TITLE=Effect of transcranial magnetic stimulation in combination with citalopram on patients with post-stroke depression

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

VOLUME=16

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2022.962231

DOI=10.3389/fnhum.2022.962231

ISSN=1662-5161

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>Amelioration of depression in patients with post-stroke depression (PSD) remains challenging.</p></sec><sec><title>Objective</title><p>The primary vision was to explore the effect of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in combination with citalopram on patients with PSD.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>One hundred eligible patients who were diagnosed with PSD were recruited and randomly assigned to the control group (<italic>n</italic> = 50) or the TMS group (<italic>n</italic> = 50). The controls were given citalopram (10 mg/d for consecutive 8 weeks), while, in addition to citalopram, patients in the TMS group were also given TMS at 5 Hz once a workday for 8 weeks. The primary outcome was patient depression status as reflected by 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17) score, and the secondary outcome was patient neuropsychological score determined by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST).</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Patients treated with TMS in combination with citalopram had a drastic decrease in HAMD-17 score during treatment. Bigger changes in HAMD-17 score between baseline and 2 weeks as well as between baseline and 8 weeks in the TMS group were observed (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.01). Patients in both groups had increased MMSE scores after treatment. Data of WCST revealed patients with TMS treatment completed more categories (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.01) and had a lower RPP in comparison to patients in the control group (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.0001). Additionally, TMS in combination with citalopram strikingly improved patients' MMSE scores when compared with those taking citalopram alone. Last, there was no striking difference in side effects between the two groups (<italic>P</italic> &gt; 0.05).</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>Our study found TMS in combination with citalopram is conducive to improving depression status and neuropsychological function, which holds great promise for treating PSD.</p></sec>