SYMPOSIA

Bulletin of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Vol: 21, Supplement: 2, 2011 - www.psikofarmakoloji.org
Abstracts of Oral Presentations
[SO-15] Ref. No: 103
The role of transcranial magnetic stimulation in cognitive processes and treatment
of psychiatric disorders
Serwa Mohamadzadeh Ashna
Young Researchers Center, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj Branch, Sanandaj, I.R. Iran
E-mail: srwa.mohamadzade@gmail.com
Background and Objectives: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a neurostimulation and neuromodulation technique, based on
the principle of electromagnetic induction of an electric field in the brain. This field can be of sufficient magnitude and density to depolarize
neurons. When TMS pulses are applied repetitively they can modulate cortical excitability, increasing or decreasing it depending on the
parameters of stimulation, even beyond the duration of the train of stimulation. This effect has behavioral consequences and therapeutic
potential. Due to its easy use and relatively minor side effects, transcranial magnetic stimulation is now widely used in neurosciences and
medicine. The main areas of transcranial magnetic stimulation application are:
1) the investigation of cortical and spinal excitability,
2) the investigation of neuronal plasticity,
3) the investigation of neuronal connectivity,
4) functional mapping, and
5) the treatment of some neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation alone or in combination with other noninvasive neuroimaging (PET – positron emission topography,
MRI – magnetic resonance imaging) and neurofunctional (EEG – electroencephalography, ERP – event-related potentials, FMRI – functional
magnetic resonance imaging) methods allows the conduction of research on brain functions. Thus, transcranial magnetic stimulation is
suitable as a diagnostic tool in neurological and neuropsychiatric brain investigations.
Method: The method of research in this paper was a review of the literature regarding publications that applied TMS for treatment and
investigation goals. A total of 104 relevant papers were identified and reviewed and the results are presented here.
Results: TMS is, through inducement of an electrical field, a useful instrument to visualize regional activities in response to stimulation.
The mechanism of effect of TMS is through inducing the depolarization of neurons that in turn activates other neurons and produces
behavioral and cognitive outcomes, depending on the stimulated area and its function. For example some of the observable TMS-induced
effects are: phosphene by stimulating the occipital cortex, interrupting working memory and speech processes by stimulating the
frontal lobe, or improving verbal memory in major depressive disorder through modulating effects on the dopamine system. TMS, unlike
electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), does not have any substantial cognitive side effects. TMS has effects on neurochemical and synaptic
processes in neurons. There are reports in the literature that depression, mania, schizophrenia, pain disorder, hallucinations, catatonia,
post traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, neuronal plasticity studies, tick disorders,
migraine and dystonia are improved by TMS procedures.
Conclusions: Current published studies and meta-analyses have evaluated the efficacy of rTMS, given in treatment paradigms that were
almost certainly suboptimal (e.g. duration of two weeks), and found that TMS is a safe and tolerable intervention. These findings raise the
possibility of using TMS as a therapeutic device in psychiatric disorders and neuroscience research.
This study summarizes the mechanisms of effect, advantages, and side effects of TMS and reviews studies of the efficacy of transcranial
magnetic stimulation on psychiatric disorders.
Key words: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), neuromodulation, electromagnetic induction
Bulletin of Clinical Psychopharmacology 2011;21(Suppl. 2):S117
[SO-16] Ref. No: 112
Oxytocin inhibition of pentylenetetrazole-induced convulsions and its identification
by behavioral measurement and thalamic EEG in the rats
Oytun Erbas, Vedat Evren, Saylav Bora, Gonul O. Peker
Department of Physiology, Ege University, School of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
E-mail: oytun.erbas@ege.edu.tr
Objective: In this study, our aim was to reveal the possible anticonvulsant effects of oxytocin (OX) in high doses, as oxytocin has inhibitory
S117