Antidepressant effect of transcranial pulse stimulation (TPS) targeting neuropsychiatric disorders: a retrospective analysis

Abstract Background Depression is a common comorbidity in neuropsychiatric disorders, affecting a significant proportion of patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Traditional antidepressants show limited efficacy, particularly in cases involving comorbid depressive symptoms, highlighting the need for alternative treatments. Methods Here we provide the first data on possible benefits of add-on therapy with transcranial pulse stimulation (TPS). Based on the largest patient sample in the emerging field of focused ultrasound (FUS) neuromodulation to date, a retrospective analysis was conducted on 88 patients with various neuropsychiatric diagnoses to evaluate the impact of TPS on depressive symptoms, measured by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Results The study revealed significant improvements in BDI-II scores posttreatment ( N = 88), with the most substantial effects observed in more severely impacted patients: individuals with minimal to severe depression (BDI-II ≥9; N = 32) experienced an average reduction of 5.22 points (29.46%), while those with mild to severe depression (BDI-II ≥14; N = 15) showed an even greater mean improvement of 10.40 points (40.51%). These results surpassed established thresholds for clinical relevance and substantially exceeded placebo effect sizes observed in relevant brain stimulation studies. Moreover, depression score improvement was independent of diagnostic group (dementia, movement disorders, or other), improvement of the primary diagnosis, antidepressant medication, and baseline cognitive status, highlighting the potential of TPS as an effective therapeutic add-on intervention for patients receiving state-of-the-art treatments. Conclusions The study’s findings indicate that TPS enhances depression outcomes in neuropsychiatric patients, particularly in those with more severe depressive symptoms.