Abdel Latif A, et al. - Researchers performed a comparison of the neurocognitive side effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) vs repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in patients with major depressive disorder. Random assignment of 40 patients with major depressive disorder referred for ECT was done to either a course of 25 sessions of rTMS to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex or a course of ECT ranging from 4 to 8 sessions. At the end of treatment, the rTMS group exhibited statistically significant better results concerning scores on the Digit Span Subtest, the Stroop Color-Word Test-Victoria version, and the Color Trails Test compared with the ECT group. The patients showed good tolerance towards rTMS with a less negative influence on cognitive functioning than ECT.