Scientists magnets resist depression

Release date: 2017-12-29

In 2017, the incidence of depression and the use of antidepressants were high, and about one-third of the patients did not work after receiving treatment. For them, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) – with strong The magnets are non-invasively stimulating the treatment of brain cells - perhaps a viable option.

In fact, TMS is not a new treatment, and the US Food and Drug Administration approved the therapy in 2008. One of the novelties is the growing evidence of the safety and efficacy of the therapy. According to the World Health Organization, about 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression, making it one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Up to 30% of people with depression are reluctant to receive treatment and show suicidal thoughts and attempts, resulting in poor overall quality of life.

Depression plagued 63-year-old retired nurse Brenda Griffith. Griffith was diagnosed with the disease by the psychiatrist James Beeghly in the early 1990s, after which she received almost every antidepressant drug prescription.

Antidepressant drugs are the most common treatments in related treatments. However, Griffith has refractory depression, which means that patients still have symptoms after two or more treatments for antidepressants.

As an alternative, Griffith has used electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), an invasive therapy that allows current to pass through the brain to treat more severe depression. “ETC saved my life, but it didn’t make me back to normal. I had to give up nursing work,” she said. To this end, she chose TMS.

In transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy, a small electromagnetic coil is placed at a precise location on the patient's head. For people with depression, this position is the left frontal cortex of the brain, which is usually less active. Compared to ECT, TMS is characterized by non-invasiveness. When TMS was first applied to the clinic, many people were hesitant about the therapy because of safety concerns. However, recent studies have shown that the therapy has no obvious safety concerns. “Non-invasive refers to the fact that no surgery is required,” said Aaron Boes, an expert at TMS at Iowa State University. “In fact, TMS has a lot of safety information, patients have no obvious cognitive negative effects, and epilepsy The risk is below 0.1%."

It is reported that standard transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy usually takes 4 to 6 weeks and receives 40 minutes of treatment per day per week. During the treatment, the patient can read or talk to other people. In addition, patients can go on their own or leave alone after treatment without the need for someone else to accompany them. After 3 weeks of TMS treatment, the symptoms of Griffith began to improve. "TMS makes Brenda better and makes her more like her," Beeghly said.

According to statistics, 58% of patients treated with TMS had a positive response, the degree of depression was reduced by more than 50%, and 37% of patients had complete relief of symptoms. "TMS is a long-lasting treatment, but it's not a curative treatment. It usually lasts for about 9 months and then requires continuous treatment," Boes said.

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Source: World Wide Web