Effects of continuous theta burst stimulation in mild-to-moderate obsessive compulsive disorder

COEX 

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a clinically heterogeneous psychiatric disorder characterized by pathologically activated brain activity. Currently, first-line treatments for OCD fail to bring response in up to 60% of patients, indicating the refractory nature of OCD. Meanwhile, over 70% of the patients have only mild-to-moderate severity, their symptoms will develop into severe OCD without timely treatment, resulting in a greater burden on clinical treatment. Continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) can non-invasively induce inhibitory effects on the underlying cortex; hence, it is considered a potential treatment for inhibiting aberrantly hyperactivated brain regions in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This is the first study to investigate the effectiveness of cTBS in the treatment of mild-to-moderate OCD in a preliminary study with an external validation design across two centers.