Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32753340›Full record

ArticleThe American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry2020

Accelerated Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation in Late-Life Depression: A Possible Option for Older Depressed Adults in Need of ECT During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Gerasimos N Konstantinou, Jonathan Downar, Zafiris J Daskalakis, Daniel M Blumberger

Open access · bronzeAbstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 23% 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

13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Extended course accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation as a substitute for depressed patients needing electroconvulsive therapy.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025
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  10. The Impact of COVID-19 on Brain Stimulation Therapy.The Psychiatric clinics of North America · 2022
    Review
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  12. A reexamination of motor and prefrontal TMS in tobacco use disorder: Time for personalized dosing based on electric field modeling?Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2021
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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

4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Gerasimos N KonstantinouDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Temerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention and Campbell Family Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Jonathan DownarDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Poul Hansen Depression Centre, Department of Psychiatry, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Zafiris J DaskalakisDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Temerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention and Campbell Family Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Daniel M BlumbergerDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Temerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention and Campbell Family Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada. Electronic address: daniel.blumberger@camh.ca.
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health · CAUniversity Health Network · CAUniversity of Toronto · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveElectroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an essential psychiatric service with an important role in treating older adults with severe or treatment-resistant depression. During the COVID-19 pandemic, ECT services have be constrained by infection control measures. We report a case of a 66-year-old female patient with a severe major depressive episode who had previously responded to right unilateral ECT and was treated with two modified accelerated intermittent theta-burst stimulation (aiTBS) protocols.

methodsThe two aiTBS courses consisted of eight daily sessions over five consecutive days, followed by gradual tapering, using 1,800 pulses per session pre-COVID-19 (first course), and 600 pulses per session during the pandemic (second course).

resultsModerate to severe baseline depressive symptoms reached remission levels after both courses.

conclusionThe 600-pulses aiTBS treatment protocol reported here warrants further study and evaluation, but may be a potential option in cases where older adults with severe depressive symptoms cannot access ECT during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indexed as

AgedBetacoronavirusCoronavirus InfectionsCOVID-19Depressive Disorder, Treatment-ResistantElectroconvulsive TherapyFemaleHealth Services AccessibilityHumansMajor Depressive DisorderPandemicsPatient Health QuestionnairePneumonia, ViralSARS-CoV-2Transcranial Magnetic StimulationTreatment OutcomeAccelerated intermittent theta burst stimulationCOVID-19depressionelder

Identifiers

PMID32753340
PMCPMC7362844
OpenAlexW3043757092

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.