High-frequency rTMS for the Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Case Series

Structural and functional abnormalities of the prefrontal cortex seem to correlate with fatigue in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). We consecutively applied facilitatory high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of seven CFS patients over three days. Five patients completed the 3-day protocol without any adverse events. For the other two patients, we had to reduce the stimulation intensity in response to mild adverse reactions. In most of the patients, treatment resulted in an improvement of fatigue symptoms. High-frequency rTMS applied over the DLPFC can therefore be a potentially useful therapy for CFS patients.

[1]  B. Mulsant,et al.  NEUROBIOLOGICAL PREDICTORS OF RESPONSE TO DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX REPETITIVE TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION IN DEPRESSION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW , 2015, Depression and anxiety.

[2]  D. Nowak,et al.  Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for motor recovery of the upper limb after stroke. , 2015, Progress in brain research.

[3]  M. Urashima,et al.  A multi-center study on low-frequency rTMS combined with intensive occupational therapy for upper limb hemiparesis in post-stroke patients , 2012, Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation.

[4]  Matteo Cella,et al.  Measuring fatigue in clinical and community settings. , 2010, Journal of psychosomatic research.

[5]  Mark S. George,et al.  An efficient and accurate new method for locating the F3 position for prefrontal TMS applications , 2009, Brain Stimulation.

[6]  Ivan Toni,et al.  Increase in prefrontal cortical volume following cognitive behavioural therapy in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. , 2008, Brain : a journal of neurology.

[7]  William W. McDonald,et al.  Efficacy and Safety of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in the Acute Treatment of Major Depression: A Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial , 2007, Biological Psychiatry.

[8]  L. Cohen,et al.  Non-invasive brain stimulation: a new strategy to improve neurorehabilitation after stroke? , 2006, The Lancet Neurology.

[9]  Steven D. Freedman,et al.  A Sham-Controlled Trial of a 5-Day Course of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of the Unaffected Hemisphere in Stroke Patients , 2006, Stroke.

[10]  Norihiro Sadato,et al.  Mechanisms underlying fatigue: a voxel-based morphometric study of chronic fatigue syndrome , 2004, BMC neurology.

[11]  Uwe Herwig,et al.  Using the International 10-20 EEG System for Positioning of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation , 2004, Brain Topography.

[12]  C. Cleeland,et al.  Validation study of the korean version of the brief fatigue inventory. , 2005, Journal of pain and symptom management.

[13]  Masao Iwase,et al.  Brain Regions Involved in Fatigue Sensation: Reduced Acetylcarnitine Uptake into the Brain , 2002, NeuroImage.

[14]  P. Whiting,et al.  Interventions for the treatment and management of chronic fatigue syndrome: a systematic review. , 2001, JAMA.

[15]  A. Chaudhuri,et al.  Fatigue and basal ganglia , 2000, Journal of the Neurological Sciences.

[16]  C. Cleeland,et al.  The rapid assessment of fatigue severity in cancer patients , 1999, Cancer.

[17]  U. Tirelli,et al.  Brain positron emission tomography (PET) in chronic fatigue syndrome: preliminary data. , 1998, The American journal of medicine.

[18]  E. Wassermann.  Risk and safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation: report and suggested guidelines from the International Workshop on the Safety of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, June 5-7, 1996. , 1998, Electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology.

[19]  Ian Hickie,et al.  The Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Comprehensive Approach to Its Definition and Study , 1994, Annals of Internal Medicine.

[20]  M Freedman,et al.  Assessment of regional cerebral perfusion by 99Tcm-HMPAO SPECT in chronic fatigue syndrome. , 1992, Nuclear medicine communications.