Researchers at the Family Care Center report that a sequential bilateral transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocol produced strong clinical gains in 33 adolescents and young adults with treatment‑resistant depression. The peer‑reviewed study, published in the journal Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, found a roughly 70% response rate and a 42% remission rate after a course of the protocol.
Patients' depressive scores on the PHQ‑9/A fell from a mean of 16.0 (±4.5) at baseline to 7.7 (±4.7) at end of treatment (P < 0.001). Anxiety scores on the GAD‑7 dropped from 13.1 (±4.4) to 6.7 (±3.9) (P < 0.001). Fourteen of 33 patients reported suicidal thoughts at baseline; the authors report that 86% of those patients saw reductions in suicidality and 57% no longer reported suicidal thinking by the end of treatment.
The sequential bilateral protocol pairs the FDA‑cleared 10 Hz left‑prefrontal stimulation with a short intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) sequence to the right prefrontal cortex. The added iTBS sequence takes about three minutes per session, the authors say, allowing the approach to fit into standard clinic workflows without new equipment.
The study's authors note these outcomes compare favorably with previously reported response and remission rates in young people. They cite Croarkin et al. (2025), who reported about 60% response and 30% remission in a larger pooled sample. Family Care Center also references an earlier retrospective adult case series using the same protocol.
"What stands out in this data is that we are not just seeing improvement on a rating scale; we are seeing it in how patients live their lives," said Dr. Sabrina Segal, Director of Research at Family Care Center. The study reports functional gains as well: 63.6% of patients reported better sleep and 75.8% reported increased social engagement by treatment end.
Limitations include a small, single‑center sample (n = 33) and an observational design; the paper does not report randomized or controlled comparisons. Still, the authors argue the protocol's short additional treatment time and reported reductions in suicidality make it a practical option for clinics treating adolescent and young adult TRD.
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Tags: transcranial magnetic stimulation, adolescent depression, treatment-resistant depression, iTBS, suicidality
Topics: Non-invasive brain stimulation, Neuromodulation, Mental health technology