Right prefrontal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in obsessive-compulsive disorder: A double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Objective: The efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rT MS) of the right prefrontal cortex for patients with obsessive-compulsive d isorder (OCD) was studied under double-blind, placebo-controlled conditions . Method: Patients were randomly assigned to 18 sessions of real (N = 10) or sham (N = 8) rTMS. Treatments lasted 20 minutes, and the frequency was 1 Hz for both conditions, but the intensity was 110% of motor threshold for rea l rTMS and 20% for the sham condition. Results: No significant changes in OCD were detected in either group after treatment. Two patients who received real rTMS, with checking compulsions; and one receiving sham treatment, with sexual/religious obsessions, were co nsidered responders. Conclusions: Low-frequency rTMS of the right prefrontal cortex failed to pr oduce significant improvement of OCD and was not significantly different fr om sham treatment. Further studies are indicated to assess the efficacy of rTMS in OCD and to clarify the optimal stimulation characteristics.