{"id":28617,"date":"2026-03-25T11:11:40","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T11:11:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/?post_type=articles&#038;p=28617"},"modified":"2026-04-14T07:17:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T07:17:19","slug":"rtms-theta-burst-stimulation-late-life-depression-suicidal-ideation","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/?articles=rtms-theta-burst-stimulation-late-life-depression-suicidal-ideation","title":{"rendered":"rTMS and Theta Burst Stimulation in Late-Life Depression: Suicidal Ideation Findings from the FOUR-D Trial"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><small><em>For healthcare professionals only. Educational use. TMS is not approved for treating suicidal ideation.<\/em><\/small><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Late-life depression remains a significant clinical challenge and is closely associated with <strong>suicidal ideation<\/strong>, particularly in patients with treatment-resistant depression. While <strong>Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)<\/strong> has been studied in major depressive disorder, data focused specifically on older adults have been more limited. A secondary analysis of the <strong>FOUR-D trial<\/strong> adds to this evidence base by examining adults aged 60 years and older who received bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex stimulation with either <strong>10 Hz repetitive <strong>Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation<\/strong><\/strong> <strong>(rTMS)<\/strong> or <strong>theta burst stimulation (TBS)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this study population, <strong>both rTMS and TBS were associated with reductions in suicidal ideation over the course of treatment<\/strong>. This is a clinically relevant finding in late-life depression, where suicidal symptoms remain an important concern and where older adults have historically been underrepresented in neuromodulation research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The analysis also found that <strong>theta burst stimulation showed outcomes comparable to standard 10 Hz rTMS<\/strong>, despite requiring substantially shorter treatment sessions. This finding is relevant when considering how different <strong>stimulation protocols<\/strong> may perform in routine clinical settings, particularly in populations where treatment burden and visit duration may influence care pathways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additional observations from the study provide further context for future research. <strong>Women showed higher remission rates than men in the TBS group<\/strong>, and <strong>improvements in cognitive flexibility were associated with faster remission of suicidal ideation<\/strong>. These findings do not establish treatment guidance, but they may help inform future investigation into patient-level factors associated with response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study also reported that <strong>remission rates in this older cohort were higher than those previously described in mixed-age populations<\/strong>. This observation challenges assumptions that older adults may respond less robustly to <strong>neuromodulation<\/strong> and supports continued inclusion of this population in clinical research involving TMS and related stimulation protocols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taken together, these results expand the evidence base for <strong>TMS in late-life depression<\/strong> and suggest that both rTMS and TBS may be associated with improvement in suicidal ideation in older adults with treatment-resistant depression. Because this was a <strong>secondary analysis<\/strong>, the findings should be interpreted within the context of the study design and should not be understood as establishing causality or comparative efficacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Access the full peer-reviewed study:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/40574540\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/40574540\/\">Clinical effects and correlates of standard rTMS and theta burst stimulation (TBS) on suicidal ideation in late-life depression<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a id=\"_msocom_1\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","content_type":[80],"publication_year":[33],"class_list":["post-28617","articles","type-articles","status-publish","hentry","content_type-late-life-depression","publication_year-33"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>rTMS and Theta Burst Stimulation in Late-Life Depression<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore findings from a secondary analysis of the FOUR-D trial on rTMS and theta burst stimulation in late-life depression, including reductions in suicidal ideation in adults aged 60 and older.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/?articles=rtms-theta-burst-stimulation-late-life-depression-suicidal-ideation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"rTMS and Theta Burst Stimulation in Late-Life Depression\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Explore findings from a secondary analysis of the FOUR-D trial on rTMS and theta burst stimulation in late-life depression, including reductions in suicidal ideation in adults aged 60 and older.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/?articles=rtms-theta-burst-stimulation-late-life-depression-suicidal-ideation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MagVenture Educate\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-14T07:17:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/magventureeducate.com\\\/?articles=rtms-theta-burst-stimulation-late-life-depression-suicidal-ideation\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/magventureeducate.com\\\/?articles=rtms-theta-burst-stimulation-late-life-depression-suicidal-ideation\",\"name\":\"rTMS and Theta Burst Stimulation in Late-Life Depression\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/magventureeducate.com\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-25T11:11:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-14T07:17:19+00:00\",\"description\":\"Explore findings from a secondary analysis of the FOUR-D trial on rTMS and theta burst stimulation in late-life depression, including reductions in suicidal ideation in adults aged 60 and older.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/magventureeducate.com\\\/?articles=rtms-theta-burst-stimulation-late-life-depression-suicidal-ideation#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/magventureeducate.com\\\/?articles=rtms-theta-burst-stimulation-late-life-depression-suicidal-ideation\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/magventureeducate.com\\\/?articles=rtms-theta-burst-stimulation-late-life-depression-suicidal-ideation#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/magventureeducate.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"rTMS and Theta Burst Stimulation in Late-Life Depression: Suicidal Ideation Findings from the FOUR-D Trial\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/magventureeducate.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/magventureeducate.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"MagVenture Educate\",\"description\":\"For Healthcare Professionals\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/magventureeducate.com\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"Educate\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/magventureeducate.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/magventureeducate.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MagVenture Educate\",\"alternateName\":\"Educate\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/magventureeducate.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/magventureeducate.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/magventureeducate.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/10\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/cropped-LogoMVEducate-scaled-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/magventureeducate.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/10\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/cropped-LogoMVEducate-scaled-1.png\",\"width\":2557,\"height\":731,\"caption\":\"MagVenture Educate\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/magventureeducate.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"rTMS and Theta Burst Stimulation in Late-Life Depression","description":"Explore findings from a secondary analysis of the FOUR-D trial on rTMS and theta burst stimulation in late-life depression, including reductions in suicidal ideation in adults aged 60 and older.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/?articles=rtms-theta-burst-stimulation-late-life-depression-suicidal-ideation","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"rTMS and Theta Burst Stimulation in Late-Life Depression","og_description":"Explore findings from a secondary analysis of the FOUR-D trial on rTMS and theta burst stimulation in late-life depression, including reductions in suicidal ideation in adults aged 60 and older.","og_url":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/?articles=rtms-theta-burst-stimulation-late-life-depression-suicidal-ideation","og_site_name":"MagVenture Educate","article_modified_time":"2026-04-14T07:17:19+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/?articles=rtms-theta-burst-stimulation-late-life-depression-suicidal-ideation","url":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/?articles=rtms-theta-burst-stimulation-late-life-depression-suicidal-ideation","name":"rTMS and Theta Burst Stimulation in Late-Life Depression","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-03-25T11:11:40+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-14T07:17:19+00:00","description":"Explore findings from a secondary analysis of the FOUR-D trial on rTMS and theta burst stimulation in late-life depression, including reductions in suicidal ideation in adults aged 60 and older.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/?articles=rtms-theta-burst-stimulation-late-life-depression-suicidal-ideation#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/?articles=rtms-theta-burst-stimulation-late-life-depression-suicidal-ideation"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/?articles=rtms-theta-burst-stimulation-late-life-depression-suicidal-ideation#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"rTMS and Theta Burst Stimulation in Late-Life Depression: Suicidal Ideation Findings from the FOUR-D Trial"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/","name":"MagVenture Educate","description":"For Healthcare Professionals","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/#organization"},"alternateName":"Educate","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/#organization","name":"MagVenture Educate","alternateName":"Educate","url":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/cropped-LogoMVEducate-scaled-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/cropped-LogoMVEducate-scaled-1.png","width":2557,"height":731,"caption":"MagVenture Educate"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/articles\/28617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/articles\/28617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29171,"href":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/articles\/28617\/revisions\/29171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"content_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcontent_type&post=28617"},{"taxonomy":"publication_year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magventureeducate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpublication_year&post=28617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}