Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

                                                    From article in Scientific American Sept 2003

Biophysica's portable repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulator (TMS) is a form of Deep Brain Stimulation. TMS is a powerful highly effective non-invasive pulsed magnetic stimulator with a measurable range extending beyond 12 "(30 cm).  Biophysica's TMS emits frequencies from 1Hz to above 50Hz using our internal oscillator and a much wider range using the external pulse source (such as one of our frequency generators). This includes all the brain wave frequencies, especially Alpha and Theta Waves and 40Hz. Output waveform is biphasic (both positive and negative polarity). Pulse repetition frequency is adjustable by user.   Two models are available  Model 1 is mounted on an anglepoise movable microphone arm and Model 2 is in a small box upon which the client's head can rest and which emits Infra-red pulses know to be helpful in Dementia, Alzheimers and Memory Loss see http://www.biophysica.com/dementia.htm

Our 7 minute TMS video by Dr Stewart can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh-JP4dsRhY

Video can be viewed at http://www.sciencentral.com/articles/view.php3?type=article&article_id=218393100

Mayo Clinic report, Dec 2009

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Dr Stewart being treated for cognitive savant enhancement.

TMS is used in many different areas of research and therapeutics including:

• Cognitive Neuroscience - in the investigation of learning, memory, creativity, speech, hearing, visual, perception and functional connection

• Psychiatry - to influence specific brain function within the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex  To relieve anxiety, depression, bulemia (bulimia), schizophrenia and depersonalization as a better alternative to Electric Shock Treatment also called ECT.

• Neurophysiology - used in the stimulation of the peripheral and central nerve pathways.  Eliciting motor evoked potentials to advanced brain mapping research techniques.

• Rehabilitation - used in the promotion of muscle recovery and the relief of pain and nerve spasticity.

• Effective, safer, less costly option to ECT and augmentation to antidepressants at http://www.psycom.net/tms.html

The following conditions have been successfully treated (some conditions need twice daily treatment) by Magnetic Deep Brain  Stimulation:

Enhancing savant like creative abilities, Autism, auditory hallucinations, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, memory impairment, sleepiness, depersonalization, mania, schizophrenia, Tinnitus, multiple sclerosis, Parkinsonism, post-stroke, Pain After Spinal Cord Injury, Panic Disorder, epilepsy, regional pain syndrome, migraine, PTSD,

Questions and Answers on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) from National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/Helpline1/Transcranial_Magnetic_Stimulation_(rTMS).htm

What is TMS?

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a technique for gently stimulating the brain. It utilizes a specialized electromagnet placed on the patient’s scalp that generates short magnetic pulses, roughly the strength of an MRI scanner’s magnetic field but much more focused. The magnetic pulses pass easily through the skull just like the MRI scanner fields do, but because they are short pulses and not a static field, they can stimulate the underlying cerebral cortex (brain). Low frequency (once per second) TMS has been shown to induce reductions in brain activation while stimulation at higher frequencies (> 5 pulses per second) has been shown to increase brain activation. It has also been shown that these changes can last for periods of time after stimulation is stopped. TMS was first developed in 1985, and has been studied significantly since 1995. TMS is not Vagus Nerve Stimulation or Acupuncture.

What disorders has TMS been shown to be useful for?

TMS is currently being investigated as a potential treatment for patients with major depression, patients who experience hallucinated "voices" and a variety of other psychiatric and neurological disorders. Over 1500 patients have been studied with TMS. For patients with major depression, many, but by no means all studies have shown clinical improvement following TMS. Recent studies that have used newer technology and stronger stimulation have shown much improved results. These pilot studies have taught researchers about how to better use TMS for depression.

For patients reporting auditory hallucinations (voices), research has not been as extensive but initial results have been promising and suggest that low frequency TMS administered to parts of the brain underlying speech perception may reduce these voices.

The Food and Drug Administration has not approved TMS for any psychiatric treatment at this time. Therefore TMS is only available as a research procedure. TMS has been approved in Canada and Israel as a treatment of depression for patients who have not responded to medications and who might ordinarily be considered for a trial of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

What does it feel like to receive TMS?

Generally TMS produces a slight knocking or tapping sensation on the head. This is also associated with a tapping sound produced by the TMS device. When administered at some stimulation sites it can cause contraction of the muscles of the scalp and occasionally the jaw. Mild headache and transient lightheadedness may sometimes result from TMS. These symptoms usually resolve by themselves shortly after the treatment is over.

Do you need to get anesthetized for TMS?

No. TMS is an outpatient procedure and does not require anesthesia or an IV. It can be administered in a physician’s office or clinic.

Does it hurt?

Approximately 5-10% of patients experience discomfort at the site of stimulation. In general this has not been a problem when administering TMS to patients volunteering for research studies.

How long does a treatment session last?

It depends on the research protocol, but generally each session takes about a half an hour. One procedure includes 2 daily sessions approximately 20 minutes each, with a 30-minute break between them. It is performed for 10 days, with a rest period of 2 days between the first 5 days and the second 5 days. There are 20 sessions in total.


How many times do you need to receive TMS?

Research protocols vary in the treatment duration, but most require at least two weeks of daily stimulation given five times per week, some require up to 6 weeks.

Are there any side-effects or risks associated with TMS?

Yes. The main risk of TMS, as with any pulsed energy, is inducing a seizure, though with close monitoring this complication has been very rare. No seizures have been reported in the scientific literature since safety guidelines have been implemented. For stimulation at low frequency (1 to 5 pulses per second) there have been no reports of seizures. Insofar as the brain is directly stimulated by TMS, there is a potential risk of disturbing the brain’s normal functions. However, in depression studies reported so far, no cognitive side-effects like loss of memory, negative changes in concentration and other cognitive capacities have been reported. This is in stark contract to the well known cognitive side effects associated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

Is TMS widely available to patients in the U.S. and Canada?

TMS is not yet FDA cleared but has been approved in Canada and can be purchased from Biophysica.

Why are researchers evaluating TMS?

TMS has some very unique properties. It is non-invasive, (does not break the skin and can be delivered in a physician’s office) can easily be focused on small areas of the brain, and can change brain activity. This makes it particularly well suited for treating the brain, while minimizing side effects typical with other psychiatric treatments which affect areas of the brain and body not involved in the disorder.

Specifically for major depression, researchers understand there are a significant number of patients suffering from this disorder that are not helped by the available medications and other therapies, only receive partial benefit, or are not able to take medications at all. TMS offers hope that, if proven effective, many of these patients may be able to experience symptom relief.

Reviewed by Stanford Miller July 2004

Magnetic Stimulation Therapy Effective for Treatment-Resistant Depression: can beat depression when medication and therapy haven’t worked, according to the December issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter. Dec 2009

The therapy, called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), involves using brief powerful electromagnetic pulses to alter brain activity. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the therapy for patients whose depression hasn’t improved with medications - estimated to be from 10 to 20 percent of those with the illness.

Patients treated with TMS may experience total remission of depression symptoms. A 50 percent improvement in depression symptoms is common.

A typical treatment schedule involves five, one-hour sessions a week for at least three to five weeks. During a session, the patient sits in a reclining chair while the magnetic coil is positioned and activated. Patients remain awake and alert as the coil alters brain activity. No anesthesia or invasive procedures are used. The benefits gradually emerge over several weeks.

A recent study compared TMS therapy in a group of people who had drug-resistant depression to a matched group of patients who received an inactive placebo form of TMS therapy. After four to six weeks, the TMS group was twice as likely to have remission of depression symptoms as the group receiving the placebo treatment.

While TMS is being used to treat depression at select medical centers, there are still many unknowns. Researchers don’t know how long the benefits might last. The general belief is that most patients who improve with TMS will continue to need some ongoing therapy for depression, whether it’s medication, counseling, additional TMS sessions or some combination of these therapies.  www.thesynapse.net/articles/viewarticle.asp?artid=11650
 

References and Links

• Magnetic Brain Stimulation Might Help Some Stroke Patients, 23 percent improvement two weeks later at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_119723.html

•  Stimulating brain with electricity aids learning speed  , “applied to healthy adults: their speed of learning was also significantly increased”

• Electric current 'boosts maths  “targeting a part of the brain called the parietal lobe improved the ability of volunteers to solve numerical problems” 04 NOVEMBER 2010, HEALTH

• Magnets help regrow brain cells  “Trans cranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been used to treat certain disorders, including depression and schizophrenia and to enhance memory and rehabilitate people after stroke”.
  02 May 07 |  Health

• Therapy hope for stroke victims  Professor Rothwell said: "We can turn up or turn down the brain at will." “It might be useful in epilepsy” 20 Jan 05 |  Health

• Magnetic therapy helps stroke patients  “The scientists are reawakening parts of the brain damaged through stroke” 07 SEPTEMBER 2011
• Magnetic therapy for spine injury  “The therapy led to improved muscle and limb movement, and increased ability to feel sensations”   11 May 04 |  Health

• Brain pulses stimulate deep sleep  Enhances slow wave activity, believed to be critical to the restoration of mood and the ability to learn, think and remember, Edinburgh Sleep Centre  02 May 07 |  Health

•  

• Magnetic brain stimulation may help beat depression:  At http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Health/20100504/depression-magnetic-stimulation-100504/

• Depression can be treated with electromagnets (better than drugs)  September 25, 2010 by: David Gutierrez, http://www.naturalnews.com/029848_depression_electromagnets.html

• Depression can be treated with electromagnets (better than drugs) at http://www.global-information-network-society.com/depression-can-be-treated-with-electromagnets-better-than-drugs.html

• Magnetic brain therapy gets US green light at New Scientist  http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14998-magnetic-brain-therapy-gets-us-green-light.html      "more than half of depressed patients showed an improvement in symptoms after receiving five 40-minute TMS sessions per week for four to six weeks".

• Magnetic Stimulation Scores Modest Success as Antidepressant: Trial of Non-Invasive Treatment Used New, Convincing Sham Control   from National Institute of Mental Health at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2010/magnetic-stimulation-scores-modest-success-as-antidepressant.shtml

• "Man 'roused from coma' by a magnetic field" 15 October 2008 NewScientist.com news service at http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20026783.400-man-roused-from-coma-by-a-magnetic-field.html
• "Enhancing savant like creative abilities with TMS" at http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9506EFD81538F931A15755C0A9659C8B63
• "Autism and hyperactivity helped by transcranial magnetic stimulation"  at University of Louisville, Kentucky  Autism News by Matthew Hogg Monday, 14 April 2008 at http://www.ei-resource.org/news/autism-news/autism-helped-by-transcranial-magnetic-stimulation
• Maintenance Treatment With Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in a Patient With Late-Onset Schizophrenia (hallucinations were greatly improved, by 80%) by EMMANUEL POULET, M.D., Ph.D., JEROME BRUNELIN, Ph.D., LASSAD KALLEL, M.D., THIERRY D’AMATO, M.D., Ph.D., and MOHAMED SAOUD, M.D., Ph.D., Lyon, France and Bron, France Am J Psychiatry 165:537-538, April 2008 at http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/165/4/537  2008 American Psychiatric Association
• "Portable device effective in zapping away migraine pain" Ohio State University Medical Center 26-Jun-2008 at http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/osum-pde062508.php
• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulator Claims To Zap Away Migraines, Submitted by News Account on 25 June 2008 - 7:30am. Psychiatry . "Stimulation with magnetic pulses from the portable TMS device proved effective for the migraine patients"  at http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_releases/transcranial_magnetic_stimulator_claims_to_zap_away_migraines
• Magnetic Brain Stimulation for Sleepiness, Memory Impairment, Anxiety Disorders and Schizophrenia (As the researchers wrote in the journal Cerebral Cortex, "TMS recipients were speedier in memory tests following the treatment"  at Columbia University (funded by the Department of Defense). Video can be viewed at http://www.sciencentral.com/articles/view.php3?type=article&article_id=218393100
• Magnetic Brain Stimulation Helps Depressed, Study Shows, Jan. 15, 2001 at Medical University of South Carolina  http://www.musc.edu/pr/narsad.htm
• Psychiatric Neuroimaging Group research at http://pni.unibe.ch/TMS.htm
• "Stimulating the Brain: Activating the brain's circuitry with pulsed magnetic fields may help ease depression, enhance cognition, even fight fatigue", Scientific American, September 2003 at www.sciam.com
• Literature search by psychiatrist Ivan Goldberg, MD  at http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.transcranial.html
• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in the Treatment of Depression; A literature review   by Ari A. Gershon, M.D., Pinhas N. Dannon, M.D., and Leon Grunhaus, M.D., Am J Psychiatry 160:835-845, May 2003 American Psychiatric Association at http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/160/5/835
• Efficacy of TMS on Depression (with 53 references) in J. Psychiatry Neurosci 2005; 30(2) by Dr J. L. Couturier at http://www.cma.ca/multimedia/staticContent/HTML/N0/l2/jpn/vol-30/issue-2/pdf/pg83.pdf
• Transcranial magnetic stimulation in psychiatry by Matthew Kirkcaldie and Saxby Pridmore Open Mind, the journal of the Tasmanian Association for Mental Health at http://www.musc.edu/tmsmirror/intro/layintro.html
• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Neuropsychiatry, edited by Mark S. George and Robert H. Belmaker. American Psychiatric Press, Washington DC 2000.
• Handbook of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, edited by Alvaro Pascual-Leone, Nick Davey, John Rothwell, Eric Wasserman, and Basant K. Puri. Oxford University Press, New York NY 2002.
• Educational Video on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (patient says "I feel like superman afterwards; better sleeping, appetite, energy, motivation, optimism") from Fuqua Center For Late-Life Depression at Emory University at http://www.emoryhealthcare.org/departments/fuqua/patient_info/TMS.html

Conditions treated auditory hallucinations, depression, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinsonism, post-stroke, Pain After Spinal Cord Injury, tinnitus, Panic Disorder, epilepsy, regional pain syndrome, migraine.

Price of portable TMS stimulator :  $4800 USD. Precision external generator is extra.  220v AC operation selector switch is extra.  This price reflects the extensive design and choice of military quality components which are necessary for this high powered device. Comes with separate portable magnetic detector which indicates the presence of pulse and a range extending as far as 12 inches:  more than sufficient to stimulate deep organs such as pituitary, pineal, pancreas, colon, bladder, lungs.  To order call or e-mail us  This device was designed and built in Ontario, Canada by Dr John Stewart

Our electric and magnetic devices emit energies that are similar to established proven technologies and may be helpful in similar situations.  Our specific devices have not been scientifically proven to achieve equal results and are experimental and custom built.