Magnetic Treatment Could Help Depression

Magnetic Treatment Could Help Depression

Article
Brain & Nerve
Behavioral & Mental Health
+1
Contributed byMaulik P. Purohit MD MPHApr 17, 2017

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one in 10 Americans take antidepressants. However, 20 – 40 percent of those individuals are unable to tolerate the side effects or do not benefit from the antidepressants.

Presented at the 167th American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in New York City, scientists have offered a substitute for depression treatment called transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS. TMS was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2008 to treat depression.

A strong magnet is applied on the front left side of the head, and magnetic pulses stimulate the brain’s mood centers, which are under-active while the patient is awake.

Powerful magnets can generate electromagnetic fields that force certain brain cells to fire. The cells release their chemical signals, and this is what is thought to improve mood. Unlike electroconvulsive therapy, TMS does not cause seizures.

Led by Dr. Mark Demitrack, the chief medical officer of Neuronetics, Inc. and Dr. Kit Simpson of Medical University of South Carolina, the researchers studied 306 patients with major depressive disorder who were treated with a TMS device called the NeuroStar TMS Therapy®. After one year, 53 percent of patients who received six weeks of daily TMS, which targeted the mood regions of the brain, reported no or mild depression. This is compared to only 38 percent of people on antidepressants who reported the same benefit.

“Until now there has been a lot of research showing its efficacy, but mostly compared to placebo, not other treatments,” said Paul Fitzgerald, a researcher at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, who wasn't involved in the study. “It is clearly very safe, better tolerated than medication and now the data seems to suggest that it might be more effective.”

According to Dr. Simpson, TMS therapy would cost about $1,000 per patient per year. Over the next two years, the researchers hope the sessions will be more affordable than drug therapy.

Additional Reference:

The Key Role of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Therapy in the Treatment of Depression

Was this article helpful

On the Article

Maulik P. Purohit MD MPH picture
Approved by

Maulik P. Purohit MD MPH

Assistant Medical Director, Medical Editorial Board, DoveMed Team

0 Comments

Please log in to post a comment.

Related Articles

Test Your Knowledge

Asked by users

Related Centers

Loading

Related Specialties

Loading card

Related Physicians

Related Procedures

Related Resources

Join DoveHubs

and connect with fellow professionals

Related Directories

Who we are

At DoveMed, our utmost priority is your well-being. We are an online medical resource dedicated to providing you with accurate and up-to-date information on a wide range of medical topics. But we're more than just an information hub - we genuinely care about your health journey. That's why we offer a variety of products tailored for both healthcare consumers and professionals, because we believe in empowering everyone involved in the care process.
Our mission is to create a user-friendly healthcare technology portal that helps you make better decisions about your overall health and well-being. We understand that navigating the complexities of healthcare can be overwhelming, so we strive to be a reliable and compassionate companion on your path to wellness.
As an impartial and trusted online resource, we connect healthcare seekers, physicians, and hospitals in a marketplace that promotes a higher quality, easy-to-use healthcare experience. You can trust that our content is unbiased and impartial, as it is trusted by physicians, researchers, and university professors around the globe. Importantly, we are not influenced or owned by any pharmaceutical, medical, or media companies. At DoveMed, we are a group of passionate individuals who deeply care about improving health and wellness for people everywhere. Your well-being is at the heart of everything we do.

© 2023 DoveMed. All rights reserved. It is not the intention of DoveMed to provide specific medical advice. DoveMed urges its users to consult a qualified healthcare professional for diagnosis and answers to their personal medical questions. Always call 911 (or your local emergency number) if you have a medical emergency!