Table 8.
Therapeutic use of TMS in specific phobia
| Study | Double‐blind (Y/N) | Randomized (Y/N) | Mean age/SD (years) | Active sample (n) | Sham sample (n) | Number of sessions | Target | Frequency | MT (%) | Total pulses | Drop outs | Results | Task | Follow‐up | Target identification method | Coil | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Sham | ||||||||||||||||
| Herrmann et al. (2017) | Y | Y |
Active group 43.2 ± 12.6
Sham group 46.6 ± 13.7 |
Acrophobia:
20 |
Acrophobia: 19 | 2 sessions with an inter session interval of 1 week | vmPFC | 10 Hz | 100% RMT | 3,120 |
1
(reasons not reported) |
2
(reasons not reported) |
Active > sham for anxiety (p < 0.05) and avoidance ratings (p < 0.05) | Height scenario virtual reality | 3 months |
MNI coordinates
based on mPFC activation |
Round MMC−140 Parabolic or MC‐p‐B70 placebo |
| Notzon et al. (2015) | Single‐blind | Y | 26.46 ± 8.47 |
Spider phobia: 21
HC: 19 |
Spider phobia: 20
HC: 23 |
1 | left DLPFC | Standard iTBS | 80% RMT | 600 (iTBS) | not reported | not reported | No iTBS effect in acute anxiety or disgust | Virtual reality provoked anxiety | No | F3 EEG 10–20 | Not reported |
DLPFC = dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; EEG = electroencephalogram; FSQ = fear of spiders questionnaire; HC = health controls; iTBS = intermittent theta burst stimulation; mPFC = medial prefrontal cortex; MT = motor threshold; RMT = resting motor threshold; SD: standard deviation; SPQ = Spider phobia questionnaire; vmPFC = ventromedial prefrontal cortex; Y = yes.