Suicidality is a growing epidemic, as over 700,000 people die by suicide around the world annually. Current treatments for suicidality are limited and novel treatments for suicidality are desperately needed. There is early evidence to suggest that the non-invasive brain stimulation treatment called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, or rTMS, is better than placebo at eliminating suicidal ideation (SI) in patients with hard to treat depressive illness (treatment-resistant depression; TRD). The UCSD Interventional Psychiatry lab was the first group to demonstrate that bilateral rTMS, targeted to specific areas of the frontal lobes of the brain, is more effective than placebo for SI. Recent evidence from the lab also showed that improvement in SI with brain stimulation treatment is correlated with changes in specific measures of neuronal communication, that is cortical inhibition, in these same brain regions. A prospective clinical trial to confirm the effectiveness of bilateral rTMS on SI, while exploring cortical inhibition measures in this treatment paradigm, is prudent and urgently needed. In this proposed study, the investigators plan to evaluate the anti-suicidal effects of bilateral aTBS over the DLPFC (an accelerated form of rTMS delivered with multiple theta burst treatments per day) compared to aiTBS over the left DLPFC in participants with TRD and SI. Additionally, the investigators aim to identify neurophysiological targets through which bilateral aTBS induces remission of SI in TRD differentially from aiTBS.
This is a prospective clinical trial to confirm the effectiveness of bilateral accelerated theta burst stimulation (aTBS) on suicidal ideation (SI), while exploring cortical inhibition measures in this treatment paradigm. In this proposed study, the investigators will evaluate the anti-suicidal effects of bilateral aTBS over the DLPFC compared to accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation (aiTBS) over the left DLPFC in participants with TRD and SI. Additionally, the investigators aim to identify neurophysiological targets through which bilateral aTBS induces remission of SI in TRD differentially from aiTBS.