ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Neurostimulation
Feasibility of home-based accelerated intermittent theta-burst stimulation (aiTBS) for depression: A case series
Provisionally accepted
Katharina Kerkel1*
Andreas Reissmann1
Berthold Langguth1
Mirja Osnabrügge2
Leo Tomasevic1Karsten Litschel2Manuel Kuder2
Martin Schecklmann1
Stefan Schoisswohl1- 1University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
- 2Universitat der Bundeswehr Munchen, Neubiberg, Germany
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Introduction: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an established treatment option for major depressive disorder (MDD), but is currently limited to clinical settings such as hospitals or doctors’ offices. Technical and logistical challenges have so far prevented its application in patients’ homes. Methods: In this pilot study, five outpatients with MDD (aged 29–65 years), living up to 120 km from a tertiary care hospital (Regensburg, Germany), received home-based mobile TMS treatment using an accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation protocol (aiTBS; 5 sessions per day, 1800 pulses per session). Treatment was delivered using a conventional DuoMAG XT-100 device (Deymed Diagnostics, Hronov, Czech Republic). Feasibility was evaluated through assessment of logistical challenges, device handling, safety, treatment tolerability and patient satisfaction. Depressive symptoms were measured before and after treatment using the 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-21) and the Major Depression Inventory (MDI). Results: Home-based TMS treatment was feasible with no serious adverse events reported. A reduction in depressive symptom scores was observed. Major logistical challenges included device transport, space requirements and the need for trained personnel on site. Conclusion: Our pilot data demonstrate the feasibility of home-based TMS using a conventional clinical device, while highlighting substantial technical and logistical limitations. These limitations underscore the urgent need for the development of lightweight, portable and patient-friendly TMS devices to facilitate the delivery of neurostimulation therapies beyond clinical settings. Further studies with larger samples are warranted, using randomized controlled designs comparing home-based and clinic-based TMS to evaluate not only feasibility, but also efficacy under standardized conditions.
Keywords: accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation (aiTBS), feasibility, Home-based treatment, Major depressive disorder (MDD), Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
Received: 24 Oct 2025; Accepted: 04 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Kerkel, Reissmann, Langguth, Osnabrügge, Tomasevic, Litschel, Kuder, Schecklmann and Schoisswohl. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Katharina Kerkel
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