The efficacy ofrepetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for the treatment of depression occurring during the course of Parkinson's disease is comparable to that of fluoxetine (an antidepressant from the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor group, SSRI), according to the results of a study published in the August issue of the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

A double-blind study using (1) rTMS (15Hz for 10 days) and oral placebo or (2) sham rTMS and fluoxetine (20 mg/db) on 42 patients with depression in the course of Parkinson's disease.