Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on gene expression

Although electroconvulsive seizure (ECS) has proven to be effective in the treatment of drug-resistant severe depression, the side effects following treatment (skull fracture, amnesia) have yet to be clarified. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), however, is a less invasive method to treat central nervous systems diseases without the side effects accompanied with ECS. The consequences of high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the gene expression of mice were evaluated. The pattern of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) upregulation was similar to that obtained following ECS.