Previous studies show that high-frequency stimulation of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is effective in treatment [2,3]. Dr Alper Zıblak (Pamukkale University, Turkey) explained the hypothesis for this treatment. OFC activation is increased by provoking symptoms in OCD patients. Moreover, improvement of OCD symptoms with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or cognitive behavioural therapies is associated with decreased OFC activation. This indicates that methods to decrease OFC activation may be effective in the treatment of patients suffering from OCD. However, there is hardly any data available on this particular topic.
Dr Zıblak and his team investigated the effectiveness of low-frequency rTMS on the OFC of treatment-resistant OCD patients. Included were 34 treatment-resistant OCD patients, divided into 2 groups. Group A (n=19) received active rTMS during 2 weeks, and sham rTMS in the 2 consecutive weeks. The opposite schedule was applied in group B (n=15). There were no differences between the 2 groups regarding age, gender, marital status, education level, age of onset of disease, and the number of hospitalisations (P>0.05). However, disease duration was significantly higher in the group receiving sham rTMS first than in the group receiving active rTMS first (P=0.028). The decrease in total scores of Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) scores was not over 35% for any patient at the end of the 4-week study period. Additionally, no differences were found between the percentage change of the 0-2 week, 0-4 week, and the 2-4 week scores between the 2 groups regarding the Y-BOCS score (see Figure) [1].
Figure: Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale after active or sham rTMS in treatment-resistant OCD patients [1]

- Zıblak A. Transcranial magnetic stimulation in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a double-blind, cross over, placebo-controlled trial. S.17.08. ECNP Congress 2020.
- Carmi et al. Brain Stimul. 2018;11(1):158-165.
- Carmi et al. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2018;28(6):777-778.
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Table of Contents: ECNP 2020
Featured articles
Psychosis and Schizophrenia
Prognostic tools in the management of clinical high risk for psychosis
Reduced auditory cortex activation during speech perception in patients with schizophrenia
Dementia
Predicting MCI and dementia by assessing worrying about memory
Genomics of vascular dementia and stroke
Bipolar Disorders
Social media and bipolar disorder: a risky combination
How to prevent the onset and first relapse of bipolar disorders?
Seasonal pattern and bipolar disorder
OCD and Depression
Personalised medicine in depression: a realistic way forward?
Heart rate could be a potential biomarker for depression
Listening to Mozart has a beneficial effect on epilepsy
Mental Health
Mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic
Microdosing psychedelics offers perspective but needs further evaluation
The PRISM project: focusing on biological parameters across neuropsychiatric disorders
Smartphone can support personalised medicine in psychiatry
Baby’s heart rate shows stress if their mother is depressed or anxious
Autism and ADHD
Movement computing promising in analysing motor impairment in children with autism spectrum disorder
Screening with ADHD Self-Report accurate in girls
No altered fractional anisotropy in ADHD
Role of the Microbiome
Micronutrient supplementation as treatment for psychiatric symptoms
Substance Abuse
Altered gene expression of endogenous opioid system after alcohol exposure in adolescent rodents
Subgroups in alcohol use disorder based on externalising symptoms
New drugs for alcohol use disorder to focus on combination therapy
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