CARLOS GUSTAVO S. MANSUR
Médico psiquiatra e médico colaborador do Instituto de Psiquiatria do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (IPq-HC-FMUSP).
SERGIO DE BARROS CABRAL
Médico supervisor do IPq-HC-FMUSP. Mestre em Psiquiatria pela FMUSP
MARIA DO CARMO B. SARTORELLI
Especialista em Psiquiatria pela ABP. Formada pela Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto da USP
ANTONIO CARLOS LOPES
Médico psiquiatra do Projeto de Transtornos do Espectro Obsessivos Compulsivos do IPq-HCFMUSP (PROTOC). Doutorando do IPq-HC-FMUSP.
EURÍPEDES CONSTANTINO MIGUEL F.
Professor associado do IPq-HC-FMUSP. Médico psiquiatra pela FMUSP. Coordenador do PROTOC-IPq-HC-FMUSP.
MARCIO ANTONINI BERNIK
Doutor em Psiquiatria pelo IPq-HC-FMUSP. Coordenador do Ambulatório de Ansiedade do IPq-HC-FMUSP.
MARCO ANTONIO MARCOLIN
Doutor pela Universidade de Illinois, em Chicago. Instituto de Psiquiatria do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo.
Abstract:
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) have been widely studied as a therapeutic method in psychiatric disorders, specially in major depression. In this paper, we have compiled the information from studies concerning the use of rTMS as a therapeutic tool for anxiety disorders: panic disorder (PD), post-traumattic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and mainly obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).Three studies have been published concerning treatment of OCD with rTMS, but they are very different in their methods and in the application parameters and location, making it difficult to draw any conclusion about the efficacy of rTMS in this cases. Four studies published on PTSD also showed very ambiguous and hardly comparable data, but a recent double-blind study with positive results is discussed. Very few inicial investigations are available concerning PD and GAD. Conclusion: Although many studies are mentioned, thete is no conclusive data about the therapeutic efficacy of rTMS in anxiety disorders. It is mainly due to a large number of open-labelled studies with small sample sizes. Therefore, studies with a deeper approach are needed to provide this answers.
Keywords:Transcranial magnetic stimulation, obsessive-compulsive disorder, treatment, anxiety disorders.