The Efficacy of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) in the Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), a Pilot Study
The Efficacy of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) in the Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), a Pilot Study
The purpose of this study is two-fold: first, to observe the effect of one session of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the error-prediction abilities of patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) as well as healthy individuals; and second, to observe the clinical effect of 10 sessions of rTMS in patients with OCD.
A battery of cognitive tasks designed to selectively measure several aspects of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) function, will be administered before and after one session of rTMS in all participants. The first neurocognitive session will be administered in a separate day from the rTMS session. The second neurocognitive session will be performed immediately after rTMS and in the same day. Participants will perform five tasks designed to test: error processing, error likelihood assessment, meta-memory, response inhibition, and affect recognition.
The rTMS paradigm will consist of four short trains of magnetic pulses which include 5 minutes of stimulation with 1Hz frequency (overall 1200 pulses in one session) with an intensity of 110% of each participant's motor threshold, and 2 minute intervals between the stimulation trains. Stimulation will be applied over the dorsal ACC (dACC) using a double-cone rTMS coil. dACC will be precisely targeted using neuronavigation software loaded a high resolution MRI of each subjects' brain.
OCD patients will go on to receive two weeks (10 sessions) of daily rTMS treatments using the same protocol described above.
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria: