Treatment in

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a FDA approved treatment for patients suffering from depression who have not achieved satisfactory improvement with standardized treatment. TMS is a noninvasive therapy that uses electromagnetic energy to activate your brain cells. TMS does not affect the whole brain, but focuses specifically on certain regions associated with your psychiatric symptoms.

Treatment in

Psychiatry

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Overview

If you suffer from depression, you are not alone. According to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, nearly 15 million American adults are affected by depression. Unfortunately, approximately a third of patients do not respond to medication or therapy. Anti-depressants often fail to bring relief and can have adverse side effects to those struggling with depression. TMS therapy is an effective treatment for Major Depressive Disorder. Patients have also reported improvement in their anxiety symptoms, sleep, pain, and energy when receiving TMS.

Our approach

The Neuromodulation Clinical Psychiatric Program at the University of Minnesota offers the latest TMS treatments and is part of the MnDrive Brain Condition initiative where innovative therapies are being researched and applied daily. Dr. Ziad Nahas played a key role in the early development of TMS and its FDA approval as a treatment for depression.

With TMS, where to stimulate, how to stimulate, and what your brain is doing at the time of stimulation matter greatly. Our psychiatrists are skilled in targeting precise areas of your brain responsible for regulating your mood using transcranial magnetic stimulation.

TMS is an outpatient procedure and typical treatments take about 20-40 minutes, which are administered five days a week. A full course of treatment requires at least five treatments per week, over a period of four to six weeks. Patients are fully awake for this procedure, and will feel a light tapping sensation on their scalp. Side effects typically are rare and mild and may include a headache, lightheadedness, and scalp discomfort. You should be able to resume your normal activities after treatments. Some patients see immediate improvement using TMS. For others, improvement evolves over the course of treatment.

Our Neuromodulation Treatment Team will work to create a comprehensive treatment plan for you. This may include psychotherapy or medication adjustments to achieve the best treatment outcomes. While depression currently is the only condition covered by insurance for TMS, the University of Minnesota is finding success treating patients with stroke, oro-facial pain after neurosurgery, and adolescent depression.