Mark Odron¹ *, Vipul Reddy¹ , Kavya Mohankumar ¹ , Shaurya Mahajan ¹,² , Charles Vigilia ¹ , Rohan Datir ¹,³ , Netra Ramanatham ¹,⁴ , Kenneth Blum^5-11 , Rajendra D Badgaiyan¹² and Keerthy Sunder ¹,⁵,¹³

¹ Division of Clinical Neuromodulation Research, Karma TMS, Palm Springs, CA, USA
² Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
³ California University of Science and Medicine, Colton, CA, USA
⁴ Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
⁵ Sunder Foundation, Palm Springs, CA, USA
⁶ Western University Health Science Centers, Graduate College, Pomona, CA, USA
⁷ Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
⁸ Institute of Psychology, Eotvos Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
⁹ Department of Psychiatry, Wright University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Day- ton, OH, USA
¹⁰ Centre for Genomics and Applied Gene Technology, Institute of Integrative Omics and Applied Biotechnology, Nonakuri, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India
¹¹ Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA., USA
¹² Department of Psychiatry, Mt. Sinai University School of Medicine, New York City, NY, USA
¹³ Department of Psychiatry, University of California: UC Riverside School of Medicine, CA, USA

*Corresponding Author: Mark Odron, Division of Clinical Neuromodulation Research, Karma TMS, Palm Springs, CA, USA.

Received: January 05, 2026; Published: January 31, 2026

Abstract

This study underscores feasibility of transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) as a maintenance strategy for patients with treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) following an acute course of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS). Weekly psychometric assessments showed maintenance of symptom improvements, quantified via PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale). The observed symptom stability may be related to the effects of tPBM in promoting neuronal mitochondrial function and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis, cerebral blood flow, and adaptive neuroplasticity. However, the study is limited by absence of a control group, which underscores the need for further, large-scale, randomized and blinded trials to determine whether tPBM offers additive benefit beyond the natural durability of rTMS.

Keywords: Transcranial Photobiomodulation (tPBM); Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS); Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC); Neuromodulation; MDD (Major Depressive Disorder); Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9); Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 item scale (GAD-7)

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Citation

Citation: Mark Odron., et al. “Maintenance Transcranial Photobiomodulation Following an Acute rTMS Course for Recurrent Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Case Series". Acta Scientific Neurology 9.2 (2026): 16-21.

Copyright

Copyright: © Mark Odron., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.