Table 1 Characteristics of the included studies.

From: Recovering from depression with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS): a systematic review and meta-analysis of preclinical studies

Studya

Animal model characteristics

rTMS intervention characteristics

Outcome

Species (strain), sex, weight/age

Model

Disease induction

N per group

Frequency (Hz)

N pulses per train

N trains

N sessions per intervention, inter-session interval

N pulses per intervention

Intensityb

Inter-train interval (s)

Coil type (ext. diam; int. diam); coil position

Drug combined with rTMS

Depression: helplessness

Depression: anhedonia

Anxiety

Other

Chen et al. 201554

Rat (S-D), males, 180–220 g

D

CUS for a 4-week period

A: 12;

S: 12

15

60

15

7 consecutive daily sessions

6300

1.26 T

15

n/a (5.0 cm; 2.5 cm); V

Quetiapine (10 mg/kg, i.p., 7 days)

Xc

Xc

Xc

 

Fang & Wang 201855

Rat (S-D), males, 3 weeks

D

CUS for a 3-week period

A: 10;

S: 10

15

60

15

7 consecutive daily sessions

6300

100% device max power

15

n/a (n/a; n/a); V

AM251 (1 mg/kg, i.p. and i.c., 7 days)

Xc

Xc

Xc

 

Feng et al. 201256

Rat (S-D), males, 180–220 g/8 weeks

D

CUS for a 8-week periodg

A: 12;

S: 12

15

60

17

21 consecutive daily sessions

21000

100% device max power

15

F8 (7.0 cm; 5.0 cm); V

Venlafaxine (30 mg/kg, oral, 21 days)

Xd

Xd

Xd

Xf (GA, AD)

Hargreaves et al. 200537

Rat (S-D), males, 301 g/55 days

H

–

A: 12,

S: 12

20

320

4

18 consecutive daily sessions

23040

74% device max power/130% MT

30

F8 (7.0 cm; 5.0 cm); SS

 

Xc

 

Xc

Xc (SI)

Heath et al. 201838

a

Mice (C57), males, 8 weeks

D (model of agitated depression)

Olfactory bulbectomy (lesion)

A: 16;

S: 12

10

n/a

n/a

20 sessions in 28 days (4 rounds of 5 days, with a 2-day interval)

36000

0.004 T

n/a

n/a (0.8 cm; n/a); FC

 

Xc

   

b

A: 13;

S: 12

0.05 T

n/a (0.8 cm; n/a); FC

c

A: 15;

S: 12

1.0 T

C (4.0 cm; n/a); FC

Hedges et al. 200344

Rat (S-D), males, young adults

H

–

A: 6;

S: 6

15

45

1

10 consecutive daily sessions

450

80% device max power

n/a

F8 (5.0 cm; n/a); 2 cm from V

 

Xd

   

Hesselberg et al. 201645

a

Rat, males, 60–77 days

D

Flinders sensitive line (FSL) (genetic)

A: 10;

S: 8

1

180

2

10 consecutive daily sessions

3600

110% MT

40

DC (2.5 cm; n/a); PFC

 

Xc

  

Xc (GA)

b

20

Keck et al. 200046

Rat (W), males, 42–58 g/4 weeks

H

–

A: 8;

S: 12

20

50

3

25 sessions in 35 days (5 rounds of 5 days, with a 2-day interval)

3750

130% MT/4.0 T

120

C (5.7 cm; 0.6 cm); left FC

 

Xd

 

Xc

Xf (SI)

Keck et al. 200147

Rat (W), males, 339–377 g/10 weeks

cD (anxiety)

High anxiety behavior (HAB) (selective breeding)

A: 11;

S: 11

20

50

20

6 sessions in 10 days (2 rounds of 3 days, with a 4-day interval)

6000

130% MT/4.0 T

120

C (5.7 cm; 0.6 cm); left FC

 

Xc

 

Xc

 

Kim et al. 200648

Rat (S-D), males, 215–245 g

H

–

A: 9;

S: 9

10

50

20

7 consecutive daily sessions

7000

1.4 T

25

F8 (7.0 cm; n/a); V

 

Xc

   

Kim et al. 201452

Rat (S-D), males, 160–180 g

D

CUS for a 4-week period

A: 5;

S: 5

10

50

20

14 consecutive daily sessions

14000

1.4 T

25

F8 (7.0 cm; n/a); FC

  

Xe

 

Xe (W)

Peng et al. 2018h36

a

Rat (S-D), males, 180–220 g

D

CUS for a 4-week period

A: 10;

S: 10

1

n/a

n/a

7 consecutive daily sessions

n/a

0.84 T

n/a

n/a (5.0 cm; 2.5 cm); V

 

Xc

Xc

 

Xc (GA)

b

1

1.26 T

c

5

0.84 T

d

5

1.26 T

e

10

0.84 T

f

10

1.26 T

Sachdev et al. 200249

a

Rat (S-D), males, 200–250 g

H

–

A: 8;

S: 8

1

n/a

n/a

5 consecutive daily sessions

5000

70% device max power/2.3 T

n/a

F8 (7.0 cm; n/a); n/a

 

Xc

   

b

5

c

15

d

25

Sun et al. 201150

Mice (C57), males, 23–36 g/15–20 weeks

D

Modified version of forced swimming (5 days, 10 min per day)

A: 10;

S: 9

10

50

1

28 consecutive daily sessions

1400

80% device max power

n/a

F8 (5.0 cm; n/a); B

 

Xc

   

Tan et al. 201851

Rat (S-D), males/females, 30 days

cD (autism)

Neonatal isolation (postnatal day 1–9)

A: 19;

S: 22

1

30

20

14 consecutive daily sessions

8400

50% device max power/100% MT

2

C (5.7 cm; 1.8 cm); 15 mm anterior to B

 

Xc

 

Xc

Xc (SI, S)

Tsutsumi et al. 200239

Rat (W), males, 270–350 g/8 weeks

H

–

A: 10;

S: 10

15

52

1

10 consecutive daily sessions

520

100% MT

n/a

C (4.0 cm; n/a); V

 

Xc

   

Wang et al. 201457

Rat (S-D), males, 180–230 g

D

CUS for a 4-week period

A: 9;

S: 9

15

60

15

7 consecutive daily sessions

6300

100% device max power

15

n/a (5.0 cm; 2.5 cm); V

AM251 (1 mg/kg, i.p., 7 days)

Xc

Xc

 

Xc (GA)

Wang et al. 201940

Rat (S-D), males, 180–220 g/2 months

cD (epilepsy)

Injections of pentylenetetrazol (daily for 15 days)g

A: 12;

S: 12

0.5

10

41

14 consecutive daily sessions

5740

n/a

2

C (5.7 cm; 1.8 cm); 15 mm anterior to B

 

Xc

 

Xc

Xc (GA)

Xue et al. 201958

a

Rat (S-D), males, 280–320 g

D

CUS for a 4-week period

A: 12;

S: 12

1

n/a

n/a

7 consecutive daily sessions

6300

1.26 T

8

C (5.0 cm; 2.5 cm); V

 

Xc

Xc

Xc

Xc (GA)

b

5

10

6

420

Yang et al. 200741

Rat (W), males/females, 180–220 g/10–12 weeks

H

–

A: 12;

S: 12

15

50

4

10 consecutive daily sessions

2000

1.0 T

60

C (5.5 cm; n/a); V

 

Xc

   

Zhao et al. 201853

Rat (S-D), males, 150–180 g

D

CUS for a 3-week period

A: 14;

S: 14

10

10

50

15 sessions in 21 days (3 rounds of 5 days, with a 2-day interval)

7500

50% MT

10

C (5.0 cm; n/a); SS

  

Xa

 

Xc (GA, W)

Zyss et al. 199742

Rat (W), males, 180–220 g/2–3 months

H

–

A: 10;

S: 10

50

15000

1

10 sessions in 14 days (2 rounds of 5 days, with a 2-day interval)

150000

0.1 T

n/a

n/a (n/a; n/a); n/a

 

Xc

  

Xc (GA, A)

Zyss et al. 199943

a

Rat (W), males, 280–330 g/3 months

H

–

A: 16;

S: 24

20

6000

1

9 consecutive daily sessions

54000

1.6 T

n/a

C (n/a; n/a); V

 

Xc

   

b

A: 16;

S: 24

20

6000

18 consecutive daily sessions

108000

c

A: 8;

S: 24

30

9990

9 consecutive daily sessions

89910

  1. S-D Sprague-Dawley strain, W Wistar strain, D depression, cD comorbid depression, H healthy, CUS chronic unpredictable stress, A active rTMS intervention, S sham rTMS intervention, F8 figure eight/focal butterfly coil, DC double coil, C round/circular coil, V vertex of the skull, PFC prefrontal cortex, FC frontal cortex, B bregma, SS sagittal suture, i.p. intraperitoneal, i.c. intracerebral, GA general activity, AD appetitive drive, SI social interaction, W weight measurement, S stereotyped behaviors, A analgesia, n/a not available.
  2. aStudies with multiple experimental groups (i.e., exposed to rTMS intervention with a different number of pulses per intervention or a different intensity) are split in multiple lines (indicated by a, b, c, etc.). bIntensity could be either expressed as % device max power, % motor threshold (MT) or Tesla (T). Timing of the assessment (referred to the rTMS intervention): conly short-term (<1 week after the last rTMS session); dboth short-term (<1 week after the last rTMS session) and long-term (>1 week after the last rTMS session); eonly ongoing; fonly long-term (>1 week after the last rTMS session). gProcedure simultaneous with rTMS intervention (in all other articles, rTMS intervention entirely preceded by the disorder induction). hNot included in the meta-analysis.
Back to article page