TMS: Beyond Depression Treatment

TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation), also known as rTMS (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) is a noninvasive form of brain stimulation. Two electrical coils are used to produce a magnetic field that stimulates specific areas of the brain. This magnetic stimulation has a multitude of positive effects on the brain, some of which are only recently discovered.

TMS has been around since 1985. It was initially approved in 2008 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), and drug-resistant depression. At that time, TMS became a widespread alternative to psychiatric medications for recalcitrant depression throughout the world. TMS has since been FDA-approved for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), smoking cessation, and depression with anxiety. Additionally, TMS may be appropriate and utilized for conditions that have not responded to other forms of treatment. There is ongoing research using TMS for a variety of other disorders including concussive syndrome, memory loss, and autism.

All magnetic stimulation of the brain induces beneficial neurochemical changes. The brain’s level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and at least two major neurotransmitters rise significantly with treatment. BDNF is essentially the brain’s growth hormone which stimulates the brain to form new neurons. There is no other treatment in medicine that raises BDNF.

Find a detailed report of TMS with the National Library of Medicine here.