A Preliminary Study of fMRI-Guided rTMS in the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: 6-Month Follow-Up

Letter to the Editor

Sir: In our recent article, we investigated the effects
of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-guided repetitive
transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment
for symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). We found
that low-frequency rTMS treatment, administered with frameless
stereotaxy on the basis of individual functional imaging
data, significantly decreased anxiety symptoms associated with
GAD. However, when the article was published, the duration of
the rTMS effects beyond the 3-week treatment period was not
known. The possibility of long-lasting treatment effects, as has
been observed with short-term electroconvulsive therapy,
could have significant clinical and economic implications for
further utilization of rTMS for anxiety.