Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
What is TMS?
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is an alternative therapy technique for individuals with depression, substance use disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other brain-related conditions who are not responding to medications or other commonly used treatments. TMS incorporates short magnetic pulses to stimulate a specific location in the brain known to be associated with depression, usually the prefrontal cortex, an area that is partially responsible for mood regulation.
The procedure is strictly noninvasive and operates by the induction of electrical currents from a treatment coil that influences neuron activity. The frequency of magnetic pulses can induce or deduce the activity of neurons. As a result, neuroplasticity can occur, leading to the generation and modification of neural pathways.
TMS is safe and FDA-approved for treating depression and is operated by a trained TMS technician.
What are the benefits of TMS?
Benefits begin to emerge at around three weeks of treatment. Common benefits include long-lasting relief from depression, improved sleep and anxiety, mood elevation, improved cognition, and a regained interest in activities.
Although these benefits occur, patients are encouraged to participate in productive activities to get the best out of TMS. Efforts include therapy, good nutrition, exercise, meditation, and active socialization.
What happens during TMS?
TMS therapy requires multiple sessions to be effective, usually five days a week for six weeks with each treatment being three to thirty minutes long.
During the first session, a TMS technician will acquire measurements to ensure the TMS coil is best positioned above the patient’s head. The technician will then locate the patient’s motor cortex to measure the individual’s motor threshold, or the minimum amount of power needed to prompt the patient’s thumb to twitch. This motor threshold allows your physician to customize the treatment settings and regulate the appropriate amount of energy necessary to stimulate the nerve cells in the brain of the particular patient.
After individual measurements and the motor threshold are obtained, the TMS coil will be placed over the treatment area. The TMS coil directs the magnetic field into the brain, its frequency passing through the hair, skin, scalp, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the patient. Throughout the procedure, patients will feel a tapping sensation on their scalp and a sequence of clicking sounds. Because TMS generates clicking sounds with each pulse, patients are encouraged to wear earplugs.
Additionally, because TMS utilizes magnetic pulses, patients are requested to remove any objects that respond to magnets, such as jewelry.
