rTMS for PTSD: Induced merciful oblivion or elimination of abnormal hypermnesia?

Issue title: TMS improvement of human cogntitive abilities

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Rossi, Simone | Cappa, Stefano F. | Ulivelli, Monica | De Capua, Alberto | Bartalini, Sabina | Rossini, Paolo M.^;

Affiliations: Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Sezione Neurologia, Università di Siena, Policlinico le Scotte, Viale Bracci, I-53100, Siena, Italy | Centro di Neuroscienze Cognitive, Università Salute-Vita S. Raffaele, DIBIT Via Olgettina 58, I-20132, Milano, Italy | Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Sezione Psichiatria, Università di Siena, Policlinico le Scotte, Viale Bracci, I-53100, Siena, Italy | AFaR.- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, S.Giovanni Calibita Fatebenefratelli, Isola Tiberina, I-00186, Roma, Italy | Clinica Neurologica, Università Campus Biomedico, Via Longoni 71, Roma, Italy

Note: [] Corresponding author: Simone Rossi, MD, PhD, Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Sezione Neurologia, Brain Stimulation and Evoked Potentials Lab, Università di Siena, Policlinico Le Scotte, Viale Bracci, I-53100, Italy. Tel.: +39 0577 585401; Fax: +39 0577 270260; E-mail: Rossisimo@unisi.it

Abstract: Neuroimaging studies and experimental data suggest that symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are associated with dysfunctions of neural circuits linking prefrontal cortex and the limbic system that have a role in autobiographic episodic memory. High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been suggested to be beneficial to patients with PTSD, transiently alleviating re-experiencing as well as avoidance reactions and associated anxiety symptoms. In healthy humans, converging evidence suggests that rTMS of the right DLPFC interferes with episodic memory retrieval. Hence, we hypothesize that daily applications of rTMS in PTSD patients may reduce access to the set of autobiographical stored events, that, if re-experienced, may cause the overt PTSD symptoms.

Keywords: PTSD, TMS, rTMS, amnesia, episodic memory

Journal: Behavioural Neurology, vol. 17, no. 3-4, pp. 195-199, 2006