Enhancing Cognitive-behavioral Therapy With Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Refractory Obsessive-compulsive-disorder: A Case Report

Grassi G, Godini L, Grippo A, Piccagliani D, Pallanti S.

Exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP) is a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) technique that is well established as first line treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) [1]. The goal of exposure therapy is enhancing and facilitating patients’ fear extinction processes in front of the feared object, situation or thought/obsession. Several studies have tried to enhance fear extinction through pharmacological agents with mixed results [2]. High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS), through its capacity to induce long-term potentiation, is able to modulate learning processes and hippocampal plasticity [3].

2014 Oct 18. pii: S1935-861X(14)00336-2. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2014.10.007. [Epub ahead of print]