The Cerebral and Cognitive Changes After Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (iTBS) Treatment for Depression

The study is a randomized sham controlled double blind clinical trial in which the changes in cortical functions associated with the anti-depressive effect of two weeks of once-a-day neuronavigated iTBS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC) will be investigated in comparison to sham iTBS. Participants will be recruited prospectively, and the study is performed at a single university hospital. After written informed consent is obtained from eligible, volunteering patients, baseline measurements will be administrated, and the patient will be allocated to either sham or active iTBS once a day for 10 consecutive workdays. A total of three measurements will take place, namely at baseline prior to iTBS treatment, after two weeks with iTBS treatment (posttest) and four weeks after (follow-up). The primary outcome measures will be assessed from baseline to the posttest.