Brainsway Deep TMS (dTMS)

Brainsway Deep TMS (dTMS)

Brainsway’s Deep TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) is a groundbreaking treatment for major depressive disorder, primarily because it is effective, safe, and non-invasive. Deep TMS can help patients with severe, persistent depression, and has been cleared by the FDA for depression patients who tried any number of antidepressants without improvement. Traditional treatments for depression like antidepressants aren’t effective for many patients and can result in a variety of side effects like weight gain, insomnia, and sexual dysfunction. This causes enormous frustration for depression patients who try mediation after medication only to still experience the hardships of depression in addition to side effects from the medication itself.

Brainsway Deep TMS can help these patients without generating medication-related side effects. Deep TMS is non-invasive, and doesn’t involve any kind of surgery or electroshock. The treatment stimulates the area in the brain responsible for depression, generating a magnetic field at amplitude similar to that of MRI. Therefore, unlike ECT, it does not involve any risk for memory loss and doesn’t require anesthesia or hospitalization.

A generally well-tolerated treatment, Deep TMS is easy on the patient, and integrates well into the patients’ routine. Its sessions are only 20 minutes (almost 50% shorter than other TMS types) so that any discomfort and schedule interruptions are minimized.

70% OF TMS PATIENTS EXPERIENCE COMPLETE REMISSION OF THEIR DEPRESSION.

TMS has immediately made a mark as an impressive treatment for depression, proving to be both non-invasive and effective for treatment-resistant patients who haven’t responded to medications.

dTMS Effectiveness

Brainsway Deep TMS has been widely tested in leading institutions worldwide and is proven to be effective, as shown in the following instances. In a wide multi-center study, Brainsway Deep TMS depression treatment was tested for treating depression patients who had previously used antidepressants without success.1 In this multi-center study (which included 230 patients), Brainsway Deep TMS generated significant improvement for depression patients. Following this study, the FDA cleared Brainsway Deep TMS for the treatment of depression patients who didn’t benefit from any number of previous medication treatments. In another study lasting 18 weeks, a significant decline was found in patients’ depressive symptoms after 4 weeks of Brainsway Deep TMS treatment, and that result was maintained throughout the study.2 The treatment was generally well-tolerated and no adverse events were reported. According to the study results, Deep TMS continuation treatment can help maintain an anti-depressive effect for 18 weeks, following 4 weeks of acute treatment.
Brainsway Deep TMS depression treatment was also tested in a trial at McGill University in Canada for treatment resistant depression (TRD) patients. The patients’ response (indicating an improvement of at least 50% in depression symptoms) and remission (HDRS-21 scores, which rate depressive symptoms, lower than 10) rates were 70.6 and 41.2%, respectively.3 In this study, depression, anxiety ratings and quality of life scores significantly improved as well. The study showed that Deep TMS therapy improves depressive and anxiety symptoms in TRD patients. Furthermore, Deep TMS treatment was not associated with serious adverse events.
  1. Levkovitz Y. et al. Efficacy and safety of deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for major depression: a prospective, multi-center, randomized, controlled trial. World Psychiatry 2015; Vol.14, 64-73.
  2. Harel EV, Rabany L, Deutsch L, Bloch Y, Zangen A, Levkovitz Y. H-coil repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment resistant major depressive disorder:An 18-week continuation safety and feasibility study. World J Biol Psychiatry 2014;15(4):298-306
  3. Berlim MT, Van den Eynde F, Tovar-Perdomo S, Chachamovich E, Zangen A, Turecki G. Augmenting antidepressants with deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (DTMS) in treatment-resistant major depression. World J Biol Psychiatry. 2014;15(7):570-578.

dTMS Safety

Brainsway’s Deep TMS therapy has been widely tested in more than 60 clinical studies by leading institutions worldwide. The FDA cleared this TMS therapy for treatment resistant depression and it is currently available in the U.S., Europe, and South America. Brainswayâ„¢ Deep TMS has been proven to be safe and generally well-tolerated. The treatment does not cause any systemic side effects, which are the effects generated by medication entering the bloodstream and circulating throughout the body, such as insomnia, weight gain and sexual dysfunction. The most common side effect is temporary, mild pain or discomfort in the area of the treatment site, which occurs during the TMS therapy session. This typically occurs only during the first week of TMS treatment. Other side effects may include muscle twitching and jaw pain. Deep TMS therapy should not be used if the patient has metal implants in or around the head (except for standard amalgam dental fillings).

dTMS Treatments

Brainsway’s Deep TMS sessions are easy on the patient, as they typically require short daily sessions of 20 minutes over 4-6 weeks. These sessions are almost 50% shorter than those of other TMS treatments, which typically last 37 minutes. With Brainsway Deep TMS’s short yet effective sessions, the patient experiences less discomfort and less interference with their daily schedule.

During the Deep TMS session, the patient is comfortably seated in a chair, and a cushioned helmet is gently placed over their head. The helmet generates brief magnetic fields, similar to those used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems. After each brief session, patients can drive themselves home independently and resume their normal daily routine.

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