What Is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)?

FDA-APPROVED TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION
At West Coast TMS Institute, we use the NeuroStar TMS Therapy® system, the only TMS device that is FDA-approved for the treatment of clinical depression. TMS therapy is a noninvasive and office-based treatment, clinically proven to improve depression symptoms that have not sufficiently responded to antidepressant medication. TMS for depression is a unique therapy that uses MRI-strength magnetic fields in order to improve the function of very specific parts of the brain. This happens without TMS coming into direct physical contact with the brain or circulatory system. TMS has been shown to be safe and does not emit ionizing (x-ray) or radiofrequency (cell phone) radiation.

HOW EFFECTIVE IS TMS?
With TMS treatment, 1 in 2 patients who are unresponsive to an adequate trial of one prior antidepressant medication see a significant improvement in their depressive symptoms; 1 in 3 patients experience complete remission, a rate of success comparable to antidepressant medications. TMS is not associated with the undesirable side effects frequently linked to antidepressants such as gastrointestinal difficulties, weight gain, sedation, and sexual dysfunction.

HISTORY OF TMS
Magnetic stimulation and its effects on the human brain were initially discovered in 1896. However, the modern technology behind TMS has been around long before the NeuroStar® TMS device received FDA Approval for the treatment of medication-resistant depression in 2008. Modern TMS has been rigorously researched across the globe for over two decades. More than 30 randomized controlled trials have been published on TMS for depression, and TMS is currently being used in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Israel and Germany.

TMS is one of the Top 10 Health Innovations of 2009, ranked by CNN

TMS is among TIME Magazine’s “10 Start-Ups That Will Change Your Life”

A state-of-the-art treatment for depression; TMS is available at medical centers connected with Harvard, Columbia, Duke, Stanford, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins, as well as in private practice settings.

POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS OF TMS
TMS is also being investigated as a potential non-drug treatment for other conditions, including:

PTSD
Anxiety
Bipolar disorder
Chronic pain
Fibromyalgia
Schizophrenia
ADHD
Migraines
Addictions
Obesity
Parkinson’s Disease
Post-Stroke
Rehabilitation
Autism
Epilepsy

How Does TMS Work?

Brief magnetic pulses generated non-invasively by TMS from outside the head reach approximately 2.5 cm inward, deep enough to stimulate the left prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain known to regulate mood. This part of the brain is located on the side of the head just behind the forehead.

The magnetic pulses easily pass through the scalp into the brain, where they induce very tiny electrical currents that are not felt by the patient. It is theorized that this process changes how brain cell connections work and makes them more efficient, ultimately improving mood.

Anesthesia and sedation are not a part of TMS. Patients remain awake and alert throughout the TMS Therapy session, able to resume normal life activities immediately following treatment.

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