Temporal Changes in Affective Symptoms, Headache Burden, and Quality of Life Following rTMS Treatment in Migraine: A Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND

Migraine is frequently associated with anxiety, depression, and reduced quality of life, contributing to substantial functional impairment.

OBJECTIVE

To examine longitudinal changes in affective symptoms, headache-related burden, and quality of life following repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in individuals with migraine.

METHODS

In this one-arm longitudinal study, 32 adults with migraine underwent 10 sessions of rTMS. Anxiety (HAMA), depression (HAMD), and migraine-specific quality of life were assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up, while headache impact (HIT-6) and disability (MIDAS) were evaluated at baseline and post-treatment. Repeated-measures analyses and paired comparisons were conducted.

RESULTS

Significant improvements over time were observed for anxiety, depression, and quality of life (all p < 0.001). Anxiety showed progressive improvement through follow-up, while depressive symptoms improved early with further consolidation at 3 months. Migraine-related quality of life increased significantly across all timepoints. Headache impact and disability decreased significantly following treatment (both p < 0.001), with large effect sizes.

CONCLUSIONS

rTMS was associated with improvements in affective symptoms, migraine-related burden, and quality of life. However, given the one-arm design, these findings should be interpreted cautiously. Controlled studies are needed to confirm these results.