Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapy is a method of brain stimulation that is non-invasive, painless and has very few side effects. Its use has been passed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a treatment for depression, and it is used in the treatment and prevention of other ailments and conditions. TMS shows excellent potential for a lot of neurological conditions.
Depression
Depression is a major problem that will affect a lot of adults and children at some point over the course of their lifetime. It can lead to physical illness, but great strides have been made in researching the illness and coming up with a variety of treatment methods.
Clinical trials of TMS have been concentrated in this area, with positive results, and the fact that the FDA has approved its use for the treatment of depression is a testament to this therapy’s effectiveness.
Tinnitus Treatment
Potentially more than 10% of the adult population suffer from tinnitus. It is described as being a ringing noise in the ears, although other phantom noises may also present in sufferers. It is caused by malfunctioning pathological wiring in the brain, and TMS is concentrated on the auditory section of the brain.
It is widely expected that the FDA will approve the use of TSD in tinnitus sufferers in the near future.
Stroke Recovery
Nearly three quarters of a million people suffer a stroke in the US every year. It is the biggest cause of disabilities in adults. Recovering from a stroke can be a long and arduous journey, and will typically require that the patient try a host of different methods and therapies along this road.
When used immediately after a stroke, TMS has shown positive results in the rehabilitation and recovery of stroke victims.
Addiction
One of the problems faced when fighting addiction is that patients are reactive to cues associated with their drug use. This is one of the reasons that patients are advised to avoid anything that will remind them of their former drug use patterns.
Using TMS therapy for addiction can significantly reduce these reactivity levels, effectively convincing the brain to forget about the cues that once led to drug use.
PTSD
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety response to a life-threatening situation endured by the patient. While it is commonly associated with soldiers returning from war, any patient that has suffered major trauma can be reminded of that trauma when they are presented with certain cues.
TMS can suppress the overactive section of the brain that causes anxiety in PTSD sufferers.
Autism
Scientists have only really begun to touch on the surface of the problem of autism, and much is still unknown about this spectrum of neurological disorders.
TMS has only seen minimal clinical trials in patients with autism but it is already returning positive results. It is used to target and control the area of the brain responsible for overactivity in autistic patients and it can relieve some of the symptoms of the disease, including irritability and tics. It can even help boost self-esteem and improve social skills in sufferers.
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