Depression is a common yet serious illness that affects the way you feel, think, and act. You experience feelings of sadness or loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed. Depression can lead to a variety of emotional and physical symptoms that decrease your ability to function at work and home.
The first line of treatment is typically antidepressant medications and talk therapy. However, these are not effective for many people. After trying two or three different medications, the diagnosis changes to treatment-resistant depression, which is more difficult to treat.
We want you to know there is hope. NeuroStar Advanced TMS therapy helps reduce or eliminate symptoms of depression in up to 83% of people in clinical trials. Researchers believe TMS therapy takes advantage of brain plasticity, also called neuroplasticity. We encourage you to call our office and schedule a consultation to learn more about TMS and brain plasticity in depression.
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change in response to stimuli. For example, learning new information causes structural changes and new neural connections in the brain. The simulation can also adapt or adjust to a new environment or electromagnetic pulses from NeuroStar Advanced TMS therapy.
Neuroplasticity can manifest in different forms, including synaptic, structural, and functional. Synaptic plasticity changes the strength of the connections between the neurons. Structural plasticity describes physical changes in the brain’s structure, including the growth of new neurons and the formation of new synaptic connections.
Functional plasticity is the brain’s ability to move a function from one area to another when the original area is damaged. This can occur during recovery from a stroke or other brain injury. Neuroplasticity is a fundamental property of the brain, which you can improve as you age by learning new material, forming new memories, or adapting to new experiences.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive treatment approved by the FDA in 2008 for major depressive disorder (MDD). It is also approved to treat brain-related disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression-related anxiety.
TMS is called non-invasive because it does not break the skin. However, the electromagnetic stimulation of the brain can penetrate the skull by two to three centimeters. The electromagnetic pulses are aimed at areas of the brain responsible for mood and mood disorders.
During your first visit, our technicians will establish your motor threshold, which is the minimum intensity of electromagnetic pulses that can impact symptoms of depression. TMS therapy does not require anesthesia or sedation, so you can go about your daily activities after each session. The best results are experienced after completing a full treatment cycle, which consists of one 30 to 40-minute treatment session per day for five days per week over six to seven weeks.
Researchers are unsure of the exact pathway TMS uses to reduce or eliminate the symptoms of depression and other mental disorders. Image studies have demonstrated that areas of the brain responsible for mood and mood disorders are less active in people with depression than in people without depression.
After a full treatment cycle, people who experience reduced or eliminated symptoms of depression also show higher levels of activity in these same areas of the brain. Researchers believe electromagnetic stimulation increases neural activity in these areas, improving neural connectivity and impacting brain plasticity. The results of TMS therapy can last up to a year or more.
TMS therapy addresses a targeted area of the brain and does not have systemic effects. Side effects can include pain or discomfort on the skin under the TMS padded coil, skin twitching, toothache, or headache. Most people find these symptoms resolve after the first week of therapy.
Depression is an overwhelming and challenging mood disorder that can disrupt your entire life. If you live with treatment-resistant depression, we want you to know there is hope. We encourage you to call our office and schedule a consultation to learn more about TMS and brain plasticity in depression and how treatment can help reduce or eliminate your symptoms.
Call (310) 246-9110