# Multi-target repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) treatment for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and comorbid pain

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2022 · $182,887

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and fibromyalgia (FM) are highly comorbid, disabling and resistant to
treatment. More than half of MDD patients present with pain symptoms, and the comorbidity is associated with
reduced quality of life, poor pharmacological treatment outcomes, and opioid use disorders. New approaches to
help comorbid patients are urgently needed. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) treatment may
ameliorate both pain and mood symptoms, possibly through modulation of shared underlying pathophysiological
brain networks.
Preliminary data indicate rTMS applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC) significantly improved
both depressive and moderate pain symptoms but failed to improve more severe comorbid pain. In this
application, we propose to test the efficacy of a multi-target rTMS protocol that may be more successful in treating
both mood and pain symptoms in comorbid MDD/FM. This includes two complementary objectives: 1) to test the
effects of a novel rTMS protocol for comorbid MDD and FM, and 2) to provide critical additional training to the
candidate that will facilitate her transition into independence as a researcher specializing in the comorbidity of
mood disorders with chronic pain and their treatment with rTMS. This will be achieved through a randomized,
sham-controlled study with two experimental conditions: A) Active rTMS to lDLPFC (established target for MDD)
and sham rTMS to the primary motor cortex (M1, established pain target); and B) Active rTMS to both, lDLPFC
and M1. We anticipate that multi-site rTMS will be more efficacious to treat both MDD and FM symptoms than
the single site rTMS protocol. Additionally, we will determine the differences and similarities of neural signatures
of MDD and FM and how these interact in the comorbid condition using machine learning techniques.
The K01 project will take place at UCLA with the mentoring support from the director of the Neuromodulation
Division, two co-mentors and four other collaborators with expertise in rTMS, depression, chronic pain,
multimodal imaging, and machine learning analysis. This approach will achieve the project’s specific aims to: 1.
Evaluate the effect of multi-site vs. single site rTMS on clinical symptoms; 2. Determine the interaction of
networks affected in MDD and chronic pain and how they are modulated by rTMS; and 3. Examine the interaction
between analgesic and antidepressant effects of rTMS. If these aims are achieved, the short-term outcome of
this project will help determine the efficacy of multi-site rTMS for comorbid MDD and FM, identify the overlap of
the neural signature of MDD and FM and how it is modulated by rTMS, and characterize the relationship between
rTMS-induced antidepressant and analgesic effects. In the long-term, current rTMS procedures may be
significantly improved for the treatment of MDD with comorbid chronic pain.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10302189
- **Project number:** 1K01MH123887-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** Juliana Corlier
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $182,887
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-04-04 → 2027-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10302189

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10302189, Multi-target repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) treatment for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and comorbid pain (1K01MH123887-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10302189. Licensed CC0.

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