Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Depression
As a treatment for severe depression, electroconvulsive therapy (electro-shock treatment) has long been considered a last hope — a treatment which works, but which also brings significant side-effects, especially for memory. New research on a less aggressive alternative, transcranial magnetic stimulation, promises similar effectiveness but without memory impairment.
Patients remain completely
conscious during TMS.
For most people experiencing major depression, either psychotherapy or medication — or a combination of the two — can be effective in helping to overcome symptoms. For around 1 in 20 depression sufferers, however, symptoms are so profound that neither of these alternatives proves effective. Electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, is a procedure which involves passing electrical impulses through a patient’s head, triggering an epileptic spasm that can alter the cerebral chemistry in particular areas of the brain responsible for the regulation of emotions. While ECT can have a significant effect on depression symptoms for about one half of patients, it also brings with it side effects that include memory impairment for up to several weeks after the conclusion of treatment.
New research from the University of Bonn, recently published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, indicates that a less agressive treatment called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) offers almost the same reduction in depression symptoms as ECT, but with no side effects on memory or other cognitive impairments.
The procedure involves placing a coil on the patient’s forehead for several minutes at a time. The coil produces a strong pulsating magnetic field which induces a weak flow of electrical current in the person’s brain. The current is too weak to trigger an epileptic attack, and the patient remains fully conscious throughout the procedure.
The researchers caution that because of the small sample size of only 30 patients involved in the study, and the division of patient groups was not made on a random basis, their conclusions may not be entirely reliable. Nonetheless, with other studies also having indicated that rTMS can improve the mood of depression sufferers, this new finding on memory side effects is very promising.
Neither ECT nor rTMS offers a lasting cure for depression, even for those for whom it is effective: individuals still normally need to continue psychotherapy or medication after the conclusion of treatment.
UPDATE: (23 August 2005) Additional information on transcranial magnetic stimulation in general may be found at:
- International Society for Transcranial Stimulation
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation at Biomag
- TMS Resources
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This article was last reviewed by on Thursday, 14th July 2005. You can leave a response below.
The URL of this page is:
http://counsellingresource.com/features/2005/07/14/transcranial-for-depression/
20th August 2005
Where are these treatments avaliable?For people like me who hate to be on antidepressents anything this benign would be a Godsent. Are larger trials being planned? I want to know more.
23rd August 2005
Elaine, I’ve added a few links above to other resources on transcranial stimulation — I hope some of them will be useful!
All the best,
Greg