Individualized, accelerated continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS), a noninvasive neuromodulation technique targeting the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (R.DLPFC), has emerged as a potential strategy to improve both depressive symptoms and persistent social dysfunction in major depressive disorder (MDD), yet its overall impact on functional recovery remains uncertain. To address this gap, a study evaluated the effects of targeted cTBS on clinical symptom remission as well as psychosocial and functional outcomes in individuals with MDD involving 70 patients.
The study found that active accelerated cTBS significantly outperformed sham stimulation in reducing depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms, while also improving general social functioning. The active group demonstrated greater cooperative behavior on the Ultimatum Game and increased learning rates (89% highest density…
