Transcraneal Magnetic Stimulation Improves Sleep Parameters in Patients Affected with Imsomnia Associated to Electroencephalographic Abnormalities

Oscar Sánchez-Escandón, Yoaly Arana-Lechuga, Guadalupe Terán-Pérez, Ángel Ruiz-Chow, Enrique Esqueda-Leon, Rosa Obdulia González-Robles, Paul Shkurovich-Bialik, Miguel Ángel Collado-Corona, Javier Velázquez-Moctezuma

American British Cowdray Medical Center, Neurological Center, Santa Fe Campus, Ciudad de México, México.
Mathematics Department, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Ciudad de México, México.
Psychiatry Department, Hospital General Naval de Alta Especialidad, Ciudad de México, México.
Sleep Disorders Clinic, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Ciudad de México, México.

DOI: 10.4236/nm.2014.51010                

Abstract

Insomnia is one of the most frequently observed sleep disorders, affecting nearly 10% of the general population. It has multiple etiological factors. Recently, it has been reported that EEG abnormalities are associated with insomnia in patients previously diagnosed as idiopathic insomniacs. In addition, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has shown to be effective in the treatment of disorders characterized by neural hyper-excitability. Method: In the present study, patients with insomnia and EEG abnormalities were submitted to slow repetitive trans-cranial magnetic stimulation, for 15 minutes daily during 10 days. Polysomnographic recordings were performed before and after TMS. Results: The results indicate that the presence of EEG abnormalities significantly decreased after TMS. In addition, most of the sleep parameters showed significant improvement. Conclusions: These data support the notion that TMS is a reliable therapeutic tool for patients affected with abnormalities linked to neuronal hyper-excitability.

Keywords

Insomnia; Transcraneal Magnetic Stimulation; EEG Abnormalities; Hyperexcitability; Sleep Architecture; Polysomnographic

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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