Benefits of TMS TherapyTMS is primarily used to treat major depressive disorder (MDD), sometimes simply called depression. It is usually recommended for those who have not found relief from medication and psychotherapy. TMS may improve symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The introduction of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) have revived interest in the use of brain stimulation methods for the treatment of psychiatric disorders.
EMT allows the physician to focally stimulate specific areas of the brain in a non-invasive and painless manner. The effectiveness of TMS in the treatment of depression has been extensively studied. TMS has also been shown to have some beneficial effects in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). EMT is an FDA-approved treatment technique for those struggling with major depressive disorder (MDD).
One machine uses targeted magnetic pulses to stimulate the prefrontal cortex region of the brain, which is underactive in patients suffering from depression. More moderate than other options, the risk of side effects from the use of EMT is lower than with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and pharmacotherapy. Each person responds to treatment differently. However, one-third to one-half of people stop having symptoms after treatment with TMS.
Others may experience improved mood and then discover that antidepressants, psychotherapy, and lifestyle changes (such as diet and exercise) provide additional relief. You can also call the San Diego Crisis Line at 888-724-7240 for free, confidential assistance. This finding was replicated in a second study in which a 5 Hz RTM was applied to the parietal site during the retention phase or during the presentation of the recognition probe in 21 young subjects. This finding suggested that RTMs helped the recruitment of an additional neural network that led to better performance.
It has been studied and used as a treatment for depression, anxiety, and other disorders for more than 20 years. As a hybrid between EMT and ECT, MST is being developed as a neurotherapeutic strategy for the treatment of major affective disorders. Some of the studies have shown promising, but not conclusive, evidence of the effectiveness of TMS in depression. There have been some indications that increasing the duration of tms stimulation may increase the subsequent duration of beneficial cognitive effects.
The changes in intracortical inhibition and excitation shown by EMT could serve to distinguish mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from Alzheimer's disease (AD), 29-31 early stages of AD and frontotemporal dementia,32 subcortical vascular dementia,33 and normal and abnormal aging in general. Convergent evidence using several different paradigms has shown that TMS can cause synaptic changes in cortical neurons. In addition, given recent findings that TMS does not affect cognitive functioning in children and adolescents with MDD, MST may also play a role if found to be safe in this cohort (Well et al, personal communication). In 15 participants who had been deprived of sleep for two days, an EMTR at 5 Hz was applied during the retention phase of the EMD task.
The most common side effect, reported in about half of patients treated with EMR, is headaches.
