Assessment of multiple salivary biomarkers during repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment for major depression.

Steroid hormones may serve as potential biomarkers of treatment response for major depressive disorder (MDD). Here, we assessed salivary levels of cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and DHEA sulfate (DHEA-S), as well as α-amylase activity, across 30 sessions of bilateral repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in MDD patients. While rTMS significantly improved symptoms as measured by three different symptom scales, salivary biomarker levels and their ratios showed no significant changes across sessions.