Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic, often resistant neuropsychiatric disorder leading to severe social impairment. Neurophysiological theories suggest an imbalance between the frontal-striatal circuits involved in goal directed behavior. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been suggested as a therapeutic option. Various targets of stimulation have been tested based on neurophysiological theories. The first studies, stimulating the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, did not show an efficacy but the more recent ones, stimulating the supplementary motor area or the orbitofrontal cortex, seem to be promising. Further studies with larger sample should be conducted in order to propose rTMS as a therapeutic tool for OCD. (C) 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.