According to the International Association for the Study of Pain, chronic pain is defined as pain that persists or recurs longer than three months. Treatment‐resistant depression is defined by the Food and Drug Administration as inadequate response to a minimum of two antidepressants. Both of these conditions may be helped by brain stimulation.
The type of brain stimulation I’m talking about today is more than listening to NPR or doing a difficult crossword puzzle. This stimulation is transcranial magnetic stimulation or TMS. In TMS treatment, an insulated magnetic coil is placed over the scalp and a device discharges an electrical current into the coil, which creates a strong magnetic field similar to the strength of an MRI device. This magnetic field—and not the current directly— passes through the head inducing a flow of current in brain cells in the proximity of the TMS coil.
For people with depression, the Mayo Clinic states, the TMS coil delivers magnetic pulses that stimulate nerve cells in the region of your brain involved in mood control and depression. A study published in Psychiatry Research found 54% of patients exhibited at least a 50% improvement—in mood symptoms.
For people with chronic pain, UCLA Clinical and Research service reports TMS treatment can alter the activity of neural networks that relay pain signals to reduce the perception of pain. About half of patients will experience significant reduction in pain by one third or more.
While these treatments are FDA approved and non-invasive, they are often considered “last resorts” and may not be covered by insurance.
Resources:
https://depression.wustl.edu/treatments/transcranial-magentic-stimulation/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10227133/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10503923/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/transcranial-magnetic-stimulation/about/pac-20384625
https://www.uclahealth.org/news/release/study-finds-possible-early-predictor-successful-transcranial
