Multiple randomized controlled trials and published literature have supported the safety and efficacy of rTMS antidepressant therapy. These consensus recommendations, developed by the NNDC rTMS Task Group and APA CoR Task Force on Novel Biomarkers and Treatments, provide comprehensive information for the safe and effective clinical application of rTMS in the treatment of MDD.

Lower fractional anisotropy in distributed cerebral networks is associated with poor antidepressant response of geriatric depression and may represent a neuroanatomical substrate that predisposes to this disorder.

No abstract

Right unilateral ultrabrief pulse ECT, combined with venlafaxine, is a rapidly acting and highly effective treatment option for depressed geriatric patients, with excellent safety and tolerability. These data add to the evidence base supporting the efficacy of ECT to treat severe depression in elderly patients.

Lower FA was observed in several frontolimbic and other regions in depressed elders compared to controls. Depressed S-allele carriers had both microstructural white matter abnormalities in frontolimbic networks and a low remission rate. It remains unclear whether the risk for chronicity of geriatric depression in S-allele carriers is mediated by frontolimbic compromise. However, these observations set the stage for studies aiming to identify the relationship of S allele to impairment in specific frontolimbic functions interfering with response of geriatric depression to antidepressants.