A new study from UCLA Health shows that an accelerated five-day transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocol may provide effective relief for people with treatment-resistant depression, potentially matching results from the traditional six-week regimen. TMS is a noninvasive therapy that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate specific areas of the brain, offering an alternative for patients who do not respond to medication.
Standard TMS treatment requires patients to attend sessions every weekday for six to eight weeks, which can be difficult to maintain. The UCLA study tested a condensed approach, giving patients five TMS sessions per day over five consecutive days, known as the “5×5” protocol. The goal was to make therapy more practical for those unable to commit to the longer schedule.
The study involved 175 patients with treatment-resistant depression. Of these, 135 received the conventional TMS schedule, while 40 underwent the accelerated 5×5 protocol. Researchers measured symptom reduction in both groups and found no statistically significant difference in effectiveness between the accelerated and standard treatments.
Some patients in the accelerated group experienced minimal improvement immediately after the five-day course. However, follow-up assessments two to four weeks later showed substantial progress, with average depression scores falling by 36%. This indicates that delayed benefits can occur, and initial results may not reflect the full impact of the therapy.
Senior author Dr. Andrew Leuchter emphasized that even patients who have failed multiple antidepressant trials can achieve meaningful relief with the 5×5 protocol. He noted that some patients might require additional treatment sessions after the initial five days to maximize benefits. Despite the promising findings, the traditional six-week TMS schedule continues to have strong long-term evidence supporting its use.
The researchers caution that the study was not a randomized clinical trial, and participants were not randomly assigned to treatment groups. Larger controlled studies will be needed to confirm the results. Beyond depression, UCLA scientists are exploring TMS for other conditions, including obsessive-compulsive disorder and chronic pain, highlighting the growing role of brain-based therapies in mental health care.
This study suggests a potential shift in depression treatment, offering faster, more convenient access to effective therapy without compromising results. For patients struggling with daily visits to clinics, the accelerated TMS approach could represent a significant improvement in both accessibility and quality of care.
