Magnetic seizure therapy for major depressive disorder - age-related differences in efficacy and cognitive side effects

Q: What was the main objective of the study?

To compare MST efficacy, tolerability, and cognitive side effects between adolescents and adults with MDD.

Q: How were participants assessed over time?

Patients were assessed at baseline, 72 hours, and 3 months after MST using HAMD-17, HAMA, BPRS, MoCA, C-SSRS, and CGI.

Q: What differences did the study find between adolescents and adults?

At 72 hours, adolescents had lower HAMD-17 and HAMA scores than adults, with adults showing more decreases in C-SSRS and greater MoCA subscale declines. By 3 months, symptom levels were similar and cognitive differences were no longer significant.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Alexandar

Magnetic Seizure Therapy (MST) is evaluated for major depressive disorder (MDD), focusing on age-related differences between adolescents and adults. A single-center prospective study included 128 patients (67 adolescents, 61 adults) treated with MST and assessed at baseline, 72 hours, and 3 months using HAMD-17, HAMA, BPRS, MoCA, C-SSRS, and CGI. Adolescents showed faster early symptom improvement and fewer cognitive and somatic adverse effects, while both groups converged by 3 months.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Introduction

Registry and registration

Wang et al. BMC Psychiatry (2026) 26:26 [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-025-07573-x](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-025-07573-x) BMC Psychiatry RESEARCH Open Access Magnetic seizure therapy for major depressive disorder: age-related differences in efficacy and cognitive side effects Mengqi Wang 1,2,3†, Wei Wang4†, Shuling Wan 1,2,3, Hongwei Zhang5, Yi Lu4* and Lina Jia 1,2,3,5* Abstract Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent mental health condition affecting both adolescents and adults, yet age-specific differences in treatment response remain underexplored. Magnetic Seizure Therapy (MST) is an emerging neuromodulation technique for treatment-resistant depression. This study aimed to compare the efficacy, tolerability, and cognitive effects of MST between adolescents and adults with MDD. Methods This single-center prospective study enrolled 128 patients with MDD, including 67 adolescents and 61 adults. All participants received MST and were assessed at baseline, 72 h, and 3 months post-treatment. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using HAMD-17, HAMA, BPRS, MoCA, C-SSRS, and CGI. Group differences in treatment response, cognitive outcomes, and tolerability were analyzed over time. Results At 72 h post-treatment, adolescents had significantly lower HAMD-17 and HAMA scores (all p < 0. 001) than adults, indicating faster initial improvement. By 3 months, adults reached similar symptom levels. C-SSRS decreased more in adults (p = 0 . 001) . Analysis of MoCA subscales at 72 h revealed greater declines in delayed recall and executive function in adults, with no significant changes in adolescents (p = 0.038 and 0. 039, respectively), whereas no differences were observed at 3 months. Common adverse events in adults included headache, memory decline, fatigue, and vital sign abnormalities, all less frequent in adolescents (p < 0. 05); myalgia occurred only in adolescents, while dizziness and nausea/vomiting showed no group differences. Conclusion MST is effective in both groups, but adolescents demonstrate faster response, better cognitive preservation, and fewer somatic side effects, supporting its use in younger patients. Registry name Magnetic Seizure Therapy and modified electroconvulsive therapy for the efficacy and impact on cognitive function in adolescents with treatment-resistant depression. Registration number Not applicable. | †Mengqi Wang and Wei Wang contributed equally to this work. | | --- | | Lead contact: Yi Lu | *Correspondence: Yi Lu[luyibabyflower@126.com](luyibabyflower@126.com)[ ](luyibabyflower@126.com)Lina Jia [lnjia@xwhosp.org](lnjia@xwhosp.org) Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creati](http://creati)[vecommons.org/l](vecommons.org/l)icenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. Wang et al. BMC Psychiatry (2026) 26:26 Page 2 of 11 Keywords Adolescents, Major depressive disorder, Magnetic seizure therapy, Anxiety, Cognitive function Introduction Depression is

FAQs

What was the main objective of the study?

To compare MST efficacy, tolerability, and cognitive side effects between adolescents and adults with MDD.

How were participants assessed over time?

Patients were assessed at baseline, 72 hours, and 3 months after MST using HAMD-17, HAMA, BPRS, MoCA, C-SSRS, and CGI.

What differences did the study find between adolescents and adults?

At 72 hours, adolescents had lower HAMD-17 and HAMA scores than adults, with adults showing more decreases in C-SSRS and greater MoCA subscale declines. By 3 months, symptom levels were similar and cognitive differences were no longer significant.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Alexandar