EEG-Spectra-Guided Personalized rTMS in PTSD with Co-occurring Psychiatric Disorders: A Case Series
Kavya Mohankumar1,2, Siddharth Karthikeya1,3, Shaurya Mahajan1,4, Jothsna Bodhanapati1,5, Charles Vigilia1, Mark Odron1, Kenneth Blum6-11*, David Baron7,12, Kai Uwe Lewandrowski13-15, Rajendra D Badgaiyan16, Edward J Modestino17 and Keerthy Sunder1,6,18
1Division of Clinical Neuromodulation Research, Karma Doctors, Palm Springs, CA, USA
2Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA
3University of California Irvine, CA, USA
4Palm Desert High School, Palm Desert, CA, USA
5KPC Healthcare, Hemet, CA, USA
6Sunder Foundation, Palm Springs, CA, USA
7Western University Health Science Centers, Graduate College, Pompano, CA, USA
8Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
9Institute of Psychology, Eotvos Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
10Department of Psychiatry, Wright University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH, USA
11Centre for Genomics and Applied Gene Technology, Institute of Integrative Omics and Applied Biotechnology, Nonakuri, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India
12Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA., USA
13Division of Personalized Pain Therapy Research, Center for Advanced Spine Care of Southern Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
14Department of Orthopaedics, Fundación Universitaria Sanitas, Bogotá, Colombia
15Department of Orthopedics, Hospital Universitário Gaffree Guinle Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
16Department of Psychiatry, Mt. Sinai University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
17Brain and Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Curry College, Milton, USA
18Department of Psychiatry, University of California Riverside School of Medicine, CA, USA
*Corresponding Author: Kavya Mohankumar, Division of Clinical Neuromodulation
Research, Karma Doctors, Palm Springs, CA, USA.
Received:
December 18, 2024; Published: January 24, 2025
Abstract
Personalized repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (PrTMS®) offers an individualized approach to neuromodulation through customized treatment protocols. This case series aims to explore therapeutic outcomes of PrTMS® in two patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), based on standardized rating scale scores and spectral EEG-guided alpha brainwave activity optimization. Participants diagnosed with PTSD received PrTMS® treatments informed by quantitative rating scales and weekly spectral EEG measurements. Weekly psychometric assessments showed an improvement in symptoms, as quantified by PCL-5 (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5), GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale), PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), and SCI (Sleep Condition Indicator) questionnaires. Specifically, PCL-5 scores demonstrated an average reduction of 20.5 points by the midpoint of treatment (4 weeks), while GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores decreased by 7 and 8.5 points, respectively, at the end of 7 weeks. Mean SCI scores increased by 6 points by the end of the 7 week-treatment period. While previous studies have also highlighted the role of spectral EEG-directed personalized PrTMS in the treatment of PTSD, ongoing research is needed in order to understand the long-term efficacy of PrTMS®.
Keywords: Personalized Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (PrTMS®); Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS); Neuromodulation; PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder); Spectral EEG; Spectral Electroencephalogram; PCL-5 (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Severity Checklist for DSM-5); Alpha Brainwave Activity
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