66% of severely depressed humans respond to a new type of brain stimulation protocol…
Saturday, February 10, 2024. This is for my clients struggling with treatment-resistant depression.
Currently, I have at least 2 clients with treatment-resistant depression.
Consequently, if you’re a regular reader of my blog, you might notice that I tend to write on depression and anxiety with an eye toward offering quick and useful information.
So here goes.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an emerging, approved treatment for treatment-resistant depression, But a new iteration of TMS is showing breathtaking promise.
To be more specific, if you’ve already tried TMS and were underwhelmed…please double back… because it has doubled its effectiveness over the earlier version of TMS.
Here’s the encouraging news… We may have reached a clinical tipping point in treating the toughest forms of depression…
66% of severely depressed humans respond to a new type of brain stimulation protocol, a study finds.
This research demonstrates that the new version of TMS is more than twice as effective as the current FDA-approved method of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
Here’s something you need to know as well. This rate is also markedly higher than the typical response rate for medication or talk therapy, which, BTW, is between 30 and 50%.
Dr. Sabrina Bradbury-Segal, the study’s first author, said:
“The findings are significant, particularly for patients who have tried other treatments and not seen desired results.
Our TMS protocol reduced patient symptoms considerably more than other approaches and with virtually no side effects.”
How the study was conducted
The research included 38 study subjects diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression. Some of the participants also had PTSD and a reported anxiety disorder.
First, the patients were given the FDA-approved TMS treatment to the front left side of their brain.
Dr. Charles L. Weber, study co-author, explained the novel part of their treatment:
“What we did was follow up the more traditional stimulation of 15 minutes to the left side of the brain, with three minutes of high frequency, short bursts of stimulation to an area in the right side of the brain.
This type of stimulation to the right side has been associated with improvements in symptoms related to anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
A couple of recent studies have demonstrated a reduction in depressive symptoms in older adults; however, this is the first study to show the effectiveness of the right-side stimulation on reduction of depressive symptoms in younger adults.”
The results showed that two out of three patients responded and almost half found their symptoms went into remission.
Dr. Segal added:
“There is much more research needed in those areas, but given our initial success, we’re optimistic about the potential, particularly given their demographics.”
Symptom presentation self-reports: 50% less suffering…
Other recent studies have looked at older humans. However, the average age in this study was 43, suggesting that this technology can also work with a younger cohort.
Across the study, patients reported that their overall symptoms, including those of depression, anxiety, and PTSD, had been more than cut in half.
Dr. Segal said:
“We are making huge strides in understanding how TMS works, but we’re still just scratching the surface.
Hopefully, this could someday become a first-line therapy for millions who suffer from a variety of mental illnesses and spare them the devastating toll they often take on their lives.”
"The findings are significant, particularly for patients who have tried other treatments and not seen desired results," said Sabrina Segal, Ph.D., Director of Research at Family Care Center.
RESEARCH:
The study was recently published in Brain Stimulation Journal, a publication focused on the field of brain stimulation techniques and research.
