Randomised sham-controlled study of high-frequency bilateral deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (dTMS) to treat adult attention hyperactive disorder (ADHD): Negative results

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OBJECTIVES: Recent studies support the possible effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) as a treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and possible efficacy of bilateral prefrontal deep rTMS for the treatment of adult ADHD. METHODS: Twenty-six adult ADHD patients were randomised blindly to sham or actual deep TMS (dTMS). Twenty daily sessions were conducted using the bilateral H5 dTMS coil (Brainsway, IL) in order to stimulate the prefrontal cortex at 120% of the motor threshold at high frequency. For assessment, Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale questionnaire and a computerised continuous performance test, Test of Variables of Attention, were used. RESULTS: No differences in clinical outcomes were detected between the actual dTMS and sham groups. CONCLUSIONS: The presented evidence does not support the utility of bilateral prefrontal stimulation to treat adult ADHD. Due to the small sample size, caution must be exercised in interpreting our preliminary findings.