When you have been diagnosed with depression, it can be difficult to decide which treatments to use. Antidepressant medications are not effective for everyone, and some people do not want to take medication. NeuroStar TMS therapy offers an alternative approach that is safe and effective for most people diagnosed with major depressive disorder.
Because the treatment involves electromagnetic stimulation, it is not for everyone. For example, people with implanted metal devices such as a cochlear implant or a deep brain stimulator are not good candidates. We will explore the science behind TMS and depression to give you a better understanding of how this unique treatment protocol can help improve your quality of life.
During a TMS treatment session, a magnetic coil is placed near your scalp. This generates pulses of electromagnetic energy that penetrate your skull. The treatment targets areas of your brain known to control mood, including depression. This targeted therapy does not have the same systemic effects that medications do.
After the pulse of electromagnetic energy has penetrated the skull, it converts to small electrical currents. These currents then affect cells in the targeted area of the brain, causing neuroactivation and increasing neurotransmitter levels. This is the first step in the scientific process behind TMS therapy in the treatment of mood disorders such as depression.
Electrical stimulation increases nervous system activity in targeted areas of the brain. This typically reduces your symptoms of depression by stimulating areas that have slowed activity. Imaging studies have demonstrated that areas of the brain known to regulate mood are less active in people who have a diagnosis of depression than in people who do not.
The activation also increases the amount of neurotransmitters in the brain. These are chemical messengers that carry signals between nerve cells and other targeted cells. They play a crucial role in brain function, including learning, mood, and memory. Neurotransmitters associated with mood disorders include serotonin, dopamine, glutamate, and gamma amino butyric acid (GABA).
Neuroplasticity plays a crucial role in the science behind TMS therapy’s effectiveness in treating depression. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize synaptic connections in response to learning or electrical stimulation. It is what makes you capable of learning to speak a new language or play an instrument.
The electromagnetic stimulation encourages neuroplasticity to help your brain adapt and reorganize neural connections. Essentially, it is like rewiring the brain to improve function in the areas that NeuroStar TMS targets. This is particularly important when you are struggling with depression, since your brain’s ability to make changes is key to achieving positive therapeutic outcomes.
TMS can lead to measurable structural changes, including increased thickness in some areas of the brain. This is demonstrated with symptom improvement as the brain gradually develops healthier and more active neural circuits.
NeuroStar TMS therapy has demonstrated positive results in adolescents (15-21) and adults with MDD. In 2024, the FDA cleared NeuroStar for adjunctive treatment in adolescents aged 15 years and older with major depressive disorder.
Research studies have shown an impressive 78% response rate in adolescents and a 48% remission rate. This means that 78% of the adolescents in the study had a significant reduction in symptoms after their TMS therapy treatment cycle, and 48% demonstrated remission, or the disappearance of the signs and symptoms of depression. **
Adults with treatment-resistant major depression have also experienced significant positive results. NeuroStar treatment is the only TMS therapy that has demonstrated results lasting up to 12 months.*** After a treatment cycle, clinicians rated the depression symptoms in individuals and found that 83% who completed their cycle had a significant reduction in symptoms, and 62% achieved remission (Sackeim HA, et al. (2020). J Affect Disord, 277:65 74. Based on a real-world, retrospective study using CGI-S and a sample size of 615 patients).
Depression is a challenging mental health condition that can have devastating effects when left untreated. Symptoms of depression can affect your personal and professional life, leading to low productivity or potential job loss and damaging your personal relationships.
Treatment-resistant depression may leave you feeling as if there are no options, but we want you to know that there is hope. The science behind TMS and depression is sound, and the clinical results are positive. Call us today to schedule your consultation and learn more about this unique, non-invasive treatment for depression that has been FDA-cleared since 2008 and has positively affected the lives of thousands.
Adult Indications for Use
The NeuroStar Advanced Therapy System is indicated for the treatment of depressive episodes and for decreasing anxiety symptoms for those who may exhibit comorbid anxiety symptoms in adult patients suffering from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and who failed to achieve satisfactory improvement from previous antidepressant medication treatment in the current episode.
The NeuroStar Advanced Therapy System is intended to be used as an adjunct for the treatment of adult patients suffering from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Adolescent Indications for Use
NeuroStar Advanced Therapy is indicated as an adjunct for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in adolescent patients (15-21).
NeuroStar Advanced Therapy is only available by prescription. A doctor can help decide if NeuroStar Advanced Therapy is right for you. Patients’ results may vary.
Important Safety Information
The most common side effect is pain or discomfort at or near the treatment site. These events are transient; they occur during the TMS treatment course and do not occur for most patients after the first week of treatment. There is a rare risk of seizure associated with the use of TMS therapy (<0.1% per patient).
NeuroStar Advanced Therapy should not be used with patients who have non-removable conductive metal in or near the head. NeuroStar Advanced Therapy has not been studied in patients who have not received prior antidepressant treatment.
**FDA Clearance K231926 The outcomes reported represent the subset of study patients for which the CGI-S data was reported before and after an acute course of NeuroStar TMS. Patients aged 12 to 21 (average 19.2 ± 1.5) were treated under real-world conditions where patients may have been prescribed concomitant depression treatments including medications. “Measurable relief” was defined as a CGI-S score ≤3 and “complete remission” was defined as a CGI-S score ≤2 at the end of treatment.
***Dunner DL, et al. (2014). J Clin Psychiatry, 75(12):1394-1401.
