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What is TMS Therapy?
TMS stands for transcranial magnetic stimulation. It is an innovative way to treat
depression by stimulating the brain non-invasively through an electromagnetic field.
During TMS Therapy, a magnetic field is administered in very short pulses (microseconds
in length) to the patient’s left prefrontal cortex. These brief magnetic fields
stimulate areas of the brain that research has demonstrated to be associated with
depression. During a single session, 3,000 magnetic pulses are given
over an interval of about 37 minutes. TMS Therapy requires four to six weeks of treatment.
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How does TMS Therapy work?
Short pulses of magnetic energy produced by the NeuroStar TMS System are aimed at
the left, prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain that has been demonstrated to
function abnormally in patients with depression. The magnetic field passes through
the skull and into the brain easily. Once inside the brain, the magnetic pulses
produce an electric field. The resulting electric field stimulates the neurons in
this region in order to stimulate the release of various neurotranmitters and hormones involved
in mood regulation. TMS also results in changes in other brain regions which are also thought to be
beneficial in the treatment of depression.
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Is TMS Therapy new?
TMS Therapy is based on knowledge of physical principles dating back nearly 175
years. In 1831, Michael Faraday discovered that a magnetic field could be converted to an electrical current.
That basic discovery has been applied to create a powerful
and focused electromagnetic coil that can stimulate the brain. During TMS Therapy, the electromagnetic
coil is placed on the head over the left prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain thought to be involved in mood regulation.
The coil produces a pulsed magnetic field. The magnetic
field passes non-invasively into the brain and induces an electric field that stimulates
the nerve cells in the are of the brain beneath the coil.
- Since the 1980s, TMS Therapy has been used in humans to study the nerve fibers that
carry information about movements from the brain cortex to the spinal cord and the
muscles.
- In the late 1990s physicians began to explore the therapeutic potential of TMS Therapy
for the treatment of a variety of diseases, with depression being the most thoroughly
studied to date.
- More than 30 randomized, controlled trials of TMS Therapy as a treatment for depression
have been published by investigators around the world.
- Neuronetics conducted the largest controlled, multi-center TMS study ever conducted (n=301) in patients with major depression, demonstrating its safety and efficacy for this use.
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Is TMS therapy a good alternative for patients who are fearful of
the side effects associated with antidepressant medications?
NeuroStar is non-systemic, so it does not have side effects such as weight gain,
sexual dysfunction, nausea, dry mouth, sedation, among others 2. The most common side effects
reported during clinical trials were headache and scalp pain or discomfort — generally
mild to moderate — occurring less frequently after the first week of treatment.
Like any treatment option, patients and clinicians should work together to find
the most appropriate treatment option for each patient.
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Is TMS Therapy like other alternative therapies which use magnets
to treat some illnesses?
No. TMS Therapy involves a unique method of using pulsed magnetic fields for potential
therapeutic benefit. The intensity of the magnetic field is similar to the powerful
magnetic fields used in magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI. These techniques differ
radically from the popular use of low intensity, static magnetic fields. Those products
deliver weak and undirected static fields that are not capable of exciting brain
cells. There are no controlled clinical trials that show proof of efficacy for these products.
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Is TMS Therapy like electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)?
No, the two procedures are very different. "Shock therapy," or electroconvulsive therapy
(ECT), intentionally causes a seizure. TMS Therapy does not. Patients receiving
ECT must be sedated with general anesthesia and paralyzed with muscle relaxants.
In contrast, during the TMS Therapy procedure, the patient sits in a chair and is
awake and alert throughout the entire 37-minute procedure. No sedation is used with
TMS Therapy. Recovery from an ECT treatment session occurs slowly, and patients
are usually closely monitored for minutes or a few hours after a treatment. With ECT, short-term
confusion and memory loss are common, and long-term disruptions in memory have been
shown to occur and may persist indefinitely in some people. In studies completed
to date, TMS Therapy had no negative effects on memory function.
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References:
- Schutter, D. (2009). "Antidepressant efficacy of high-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in double-blind sham-controlled designs: a meta-analysis." Psychological Medicine 39: 65-75.
- Data on file.
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Refer a Patient for Treatment
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NeuroStar TMS Therapy may be right for your patients suffering from major depression. Refer them here.
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Become a NeuroStar TMS Therapy Provider
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Provide your patients the new way back from depression with NeuroStar TMS Therapy®.
Contact us to find out how you can bring NeuroStar into your workplace.
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NeuroStar TMS Therapy ® is indicated for the treatment of Major Depressive
Disorder in adult patients who have failed to achieve satisfactory improvement from
one prior antidepressant medication at or above the minimal effective dose and duration
in the current episode. Click here for full prescribing and safety information
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