A New Hope For Depression: Part 1 – Boca Newspaper (press release) (blog)

By: Raul J. Rodriguez MD, DABPN, DABAM, MRO Special to the Boca and Delray newspapers

Treatment resistant depression is one of the most crippling and emotionally devastating conditions known to man. The loss of hope in ever recovering from a disease that does not respond to conventional treatment and has hopelessness as one of its symptoms can lead to a deadly downward spiral. Many good medications have been developed to treat Major Depression over the years, but sometimes the disease can be too severe and the medicine does not work. Some intensive treatments, such as ECT, are very effective but have severe side effects. This leaves many patients seeking a better solution. This dire need for a better solution led to the development of TMS.

So what exactly is TMS? TMS is the acronym for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, which is a cutting edge treatment for depression that involves stimulation of brain tissue using electromagnetic pulses. This noninvasive procedure improves symptoms of depression by activated the parts of the brain associated with mood control and depression. TMS has grown in popularity due to the high degree of effectiveness while having very few side effects and absolutely no circulation of medication in the bloodstream. The process starts with the placement of an electromagnetic coil over the scalp near the forehead. The motor strip, the area of the brain responsible for movement of limbs and muscles, is then mapped out. This is necessary in order to subsequently determine the location of the lateral pre-frontal cortex. The actual procedure involves a delivering a sequence of magnetic pulses to the left lateral pre-frontal cortex to induce stimulation. The magnetic pulses pass through the scalp and the skull to reach the target brain tissue. TMS activates the actual neurons by inducing an electrical current in the part of the brain cell called the axon. This current travels to the nerve cell body and then affects other connecting brain cells. This stimulation ultimately creates the powerful antidepressant effect. TMS is indicated when conventional treatments for Major Depression have not worked. TMS is also an option for individuals who suffer from Major Depression and do not wish to take medications. TMS was approved by the FDA for the indication of treatment resistant depression in 2008. Deep TMS, possible with the newer generation of TMS technology, was approved by the FDA for the indication of treatment resistant depression in 2013.

Deep TMS, also known as dTMS, refers to a more deeply penetrating form of TMS now possible using the newer generation of TMS technology produced by the Brainsway Corporation. Brainsway has engineered the H1 dTMS coil that was approved by the FDA for the indication of Treatment Resistant Depression. The H1 coil produces a magnetic pulse that stimulates a larger area than a traditional figure 8 coil. The stimulation also penetrates deeper, reaching 1.7 cm into the cortex. The benefits of this have to do with both a more complete stimulation of the target area as well as some stimulation of the neighboring areas of the brain that interconnect with the target area. The risk of dramatically losing efficacy from deviating even just 1mm from the target area is greatly diminished using a Brainsway device, as compared to a traditional figure 8 coil, due to the larger and deeper area of stimulation. The treatment session consists of 2,500 pulses delivered over a time span of approximately 20 minutes. This all helps yield higher rates of both response and remission of Treatment Resistant Depression.

Part 2 coming in August!

Dr. Rodriguez is the founder, CEO and Medical Director of the Delray Center For Brain Science, a true Brain Center which specializes in Treatment Resistant Depression, ADHD, OCD, Memory Disorders, and optimizing brain performance.

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A New Hope For Depression: Part 1 - Boca Newspaper (press release) (blog)