Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30470735›Full record

Trial reportTranslational psychiatry2018

Magnetic seizure therapy reduces suicidal ideation and produces neuroplasticity in treatment-resistant depression.

Yinming Sun, Daniel M Blumberger, Benoit H Mulsant, Tarek K Rajji, Paul B Fitzgerald, Mera S Barr, Jonathan Downar, Willy Wong, Faranak Farzan, Zafiris J Daskalakis

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Translational psychiatry, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
42citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
3.4field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

42 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 81 citations in OpenAlex.

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  14. Clinical utility and prospective of TMS-EEG: Updated review from an international expert group.Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Yinming SunTemerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Daniel M BlumbergerTemerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Benoit H MulsantCampbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Tarek K RajjiTemerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Paul B FitzgeraldEpworth Healthcare and Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Alfred and Monash University Central Clinical School, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Mera S BarrTemerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Jonathan DownarDepartment of Psychiatry, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5140-174X
Willy WongDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Faranak FarzanTemerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Zafiris J DaskalakisTemerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. Jeff.Daskalakis@camh.ca.
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health · CAMonash Alfred Psychiatry Research centre · AUUniversity Health Network · CAUniversity of Toronto · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Therapeutic seizures may work for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) by producing neuroplasticity. We evaluated whether magnetic seizure therapy (MST) produces changes in suicidal ideation and neuroplasticity as indexed through transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Twenty-three patients with TRD were treated with MST. Changes in suicidal ideation was assessed through the Scale for Suicidal Ideation (SSI). Before and after the treatment course, neuroplasticity in excitatory and inhibitory circuits was assessed with TMS-EEG measures of cortical-evoked activity (CEA) and long-interval cortical inhibition (LICI) from the left DLPFC, and the left motor cortex as a control condition. As in our previous report, the relationship between TMS-EEG measures and suicidal ideation was examined with the SSI. Results show that 44.4% of patients experienced resolution of suicidal ideation. Based on DLPFC assessment, MST produced significant CEA increase over the frontal central electrodes (cluster p < 0.05), but did not change LICI on a group level. MST also reduced the SSI scores (p < 0.005) and the amount of reduction correlated with the decrease in LICI over the right frontal central electrodes (cluster p < 0.05; rho = 0.73 for Cz). LICI change identified patients who were resolved of suicidal ideation with 90% sensitivity and 88% specificity (AUC = 0.9, p = 0.004). There was no significant finding with motor cortex assessment. Overall, MST produced significant rates of resolution of suicidal ideation. MST also produced neuroplasticity in the frontal cortex, likely through long-term potentiation (LTP)-like mechanisms. The largest reduction in suicidal ideation was demonstrated in patients showing concomitant decreases in cortical inhibition-a mechanism linked to enhanced LTP-like plasticity. These findings provide insights into the mechanisms through which patients experience resolution of suicidal ideation following seizure treatments in depression.

Indexed as

Outcome Assessment, Health CareSeizuresSuicidal IdeationAdultDepressive Disorder, Treatment-ResistantElectroencephalographyEvoked PotentialsFemaleHumansMagnetic Field TherapyMaleMiddle AgedMotor CortexNeural InhibitionNeuronal PlasticityPrefrontal Cortex

Identifiers

PMID30470735
PMCPMC6251931
OpenAlexW2901304292

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.