Recent research highlights that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) could be optimized for individual patients with depression by using a new electrophysiological marker, which may enhance treatment efficacy by customizing factors like the stimulation site and coil angle. Credit: SciTechDaily.com Magnetic stimulation therapy could aid patients who don’t respond to antidepressants.
Scientists from the University of Helsinki and Stanford University are refining techniques that may lead to personalized treatments in the future. Not every patient with depression benefits from medication. Recent research highlights potential improvements in an alternative approach, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), for treating depression.
TMS is distinct from electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), another treatment option for depression. Researchers from the University of Helsinki and Stanford University investigated which factors in targeting TMS influence the brain’s electrical responses. They examined the behavior of a specific electrophysiological marker.
This marker could potentially be used as a biomarker in the future to measure the efficacy of TMS treatment and thus help target and tailor the therapy. “Magnetic stimulation is an effective treatment for patients whose depression is not alleviated by medication. However, currently, about half of these patients do not receive significant help from TMS.
The biomarker we studied may help predict who will benefit from the therapy. In.
