Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a new method of therapeutic effect on the brain based on the principle of electromagnetic induction. An alternating magnetic field has unique properties, in particular, a local effect on brain structures without a wide generalization of currents to adjacent areas of the brain, and a higher penetrating ability through the skin and bone tissue compared to electric current, which makes it possible to more accurately dose the intensity of exposure.
Its mechanism of action is that under the influence of a magnetic field there is a change in the charge of the membrane of nerve cells. This leads to a change in the functional state of the brain, especially the hypothalamic-pituitary system, followed by the inclusion of non-specific adaptation mechanisms, anti-stress reactions, and the normalization of systemic bioadaptive processes in the immune and endocrine systems.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation is an alternative to drug therapy for depression. It allows you to significantly reduce or completely eliminate standard pharmaceuticals and thereby avoid additional chemical burden on the body.
The technique has been officially used in medicine since 2008, when the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) registered its use in the treatment of unipolar depressive disorder in adults, in the absence of effect or insufficient effectiveness of using one antidepressant in the minimum (or higher ) therapeutic dose and duration during a given depressive episode. Then, based on the results of the European Group
Expert research for TMS was found to have a high level of evidence.
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Magnetic stimulation of the cerebral cortex is used today by specialists in various medical fields for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the nervous system, epilepsy, migraine, spinal cord lesions, Parkinson's disease, hereditary degenerative diseases, and pain syndromes. The greatest effect was obtained with anxiety and depressive disorders, in combination with panic attacks, autonomic dysfunction, as well as chronic cerebral ischemia (dyscirculatory encephalopathy) stage 1-2 and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In the process of TMS treatment, the depleted central nervous system is restored in patients, which especially often occurs with depression and manifests itself in asthenia (increased fatigue and irritability, reduced performance, temporary decrease in intellectual functions, emotional instability - tearfulness, capriciousness, etc.). The severity of neurotic symptoms decreases, tension, feelings of anxiety and fear decrease, positive emotions arise.
During the procedure, the patient is conscious, experiences a state of rest, muscle relaxation. And the impact itself does not affect attention and concentration, which makes it possible to drive a car on your own shortly after the procedure.
The virtual absence of side effects (some patients have slight headaches after the first sessions) and the complete painlessness of the method make it suitable for the treatment of depression even in pregnant women. Since the zone of action of the magnetic field during the session does not reach the fetus, stimulation of the mother's brain takes place without any complications for the child.
TMS is contraindicated in people with pacemakers and metal implants, because there is a risk of their failure. They also try not to carry it out to patients with epilepsy, frequent fainting, with suspected aneurysm of cerebral vessels and with brain tumors.
The course of TMS treatment consists of an average of 10-14 daily sessions (except weekends).
If it is impossible to perform TMS, we replace it with alternative methods - transcranial electrical stimulation or mesodiencephalic modulation (more).