14 DAY TRIAL // A particular subset in the group of people suffering from depression exhibits symptoms so severe, that there are literally no therapies doctors can attempt to alleviate them. For these individuals, experts at the Butler Hospital say, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) could bring a ray of hope.
TMS involves the insertion of tiny electrodes inside the brain, which are used to deliver very mild electrical charges to specific neural pathways. According to the research team, the approach has proven to be very effective at lowering the intensity of symptoms in severely depressed patients.
More than 30 clinical trials conducted to date “were key in laying the groundwork for the FDA to approve the first device for delivery of TMS as a treatment for depression in 2008,” says the lead author of the new study, Linda Carpenter, MD, quoted by PsychCentral.
The new paper covers the case of 307 severely depressed patients, who were treated at 42 clinical trial sites throughout the United States.