A technique for personalising Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) treatment for depression may provide better outcomes for Australian patients, according to University of Melbourne researchers.
TMS treatment involves placing an electromagnetic coil against a patient’s head to deliver magnetic pulses, which stimulate mood-regulating nerve cells in the brain and has been used as an effective treatment option for depression in Australia and globally for two decades.
Unlike other treatments for depression, TMS has minimal side effects, with the sensation of a TMS pulse being like a finger tap to the head. TMS has been used as an alternative treatment for depression in patients who experience adverse side effects from medication.
Researchers at the University of Melbourne have spearheaded research that’s helped unravel specific pathways in the brain that are involved in depression. They were amongst the first in the world to develop new methods that enable these precise brain circuits to be targeted using TMS in a personalised way.
Neuroscientist Dr Robin Cash says their research indicates the improved targeting of specific brain regions for TMS therapy using a brain scan could lead to better treatment outcomes for patients.
“Our research suggests that this new approach may improve treatment outcomes for people with depression. There is a solid rationale for personalising therapeutic targets as no two brains are the same,” Dr Cash said.
The team’s collaborators in Brisbane have translated this approach into patient care, establishing the first clinic in the southern hemisphere to offer routine personalised TMS therapy for depression, known as the Queensland Neurostimulation Centre. Their approach is now used by several clinics and research teams around the world.
Later this year, the researchers will test the clinical benefits of their improved TMS technique, relative to standard TMS therapy, in a clinical trial across Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, supported by a $2.4 million grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council. Individuals with treatment-resistant depression, who are interested in participating can express their interest by emailing tms_clinical_trial@unimelb.edu.au.