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Here is a concise summary of four brain-stimulating techniques being used today to treat severe chronic depression. The summary appeared in the Fall 2006 Issue of the Johns Hopkins’s Bulletin.
1. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the oldest and the best known and, in fact, is still recognized as the most effective treatment for severe depression. It involves the application of brief electrical pulses to the scalp to induce seizures throughout the brain. The seizures appear to relieve depression by increasing the release of brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine, but some other unknown mechanism may also be at play.
2. Another technique, rapid transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), involves the placement of an electromagnetic coil on the scalp. The coil is not implanted, so no anesthesia is necessary; nor is it necessary to induce seizures (as with ECT). A pulsed high-intensity current is passed through the coil into specific areas of the brain, creating a powerful magnetic field that changes the way brain cells function.
3. Yet another approach, magnetic seizure therapy, is a combination of ECT and rTMS. It uses a coil similar to that employed in rTMS to stimulate only certain parts of the brain, but induces seizures like ECT. It is still in the early stages of development but is designed to produce fewer side effects than ECT.
4. Finally, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) involves the implantation of a small device about the size of a pocket watch in the upper left area of the chest. The devise is connected via an electrical lead to the vagus nerve in the left side of the neck. (The vagus is one of the 12 pairs of nerves that originate in the brain.) A preprogrammed generator in the device then sends timed pulses of electricity to the nerve, which are believed to prompt changes in levels of brain chemicals associated with depression, such as serotonin and norepinephrine. A VNS device was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in July 2005 for treatment-resistant depression.
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Therese J. Borchard writes the daily blog, Beyond Blue, on Beliefnet and is a regular contributor to the award-winning blog, World of Psychology, on Psych Central. Therese is the author of Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes and The Pocket Therapist: An Emotional Survival Kit. Subscribe to Beyond Blue, visit her website, or follow her on Twitter @thereseborchard.
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Therese J. Borchard writes the daily blog, Beyond Blue, on Beliefnet and is a regular contributor to the award-winning blog, World of Psychology, on Psych Central. Therese is the author of Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes and The Pocket Therapist: An Emotional Survival Kit. Subscribe to Beyond Blue, visit her website, or follow her on Twitter @thereseborchard.
posted November 14, 2009 at 5:51 pm
What is not common knowledge of neurologists/researchers currently involved in transcutaneous magnetic stimuloation (TMS) and repetitive transcutaneous magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is that it affects the mitochondria. We have found that generally the pulsed stimulation upregulates ATP production by improving the efficiency of the cellular respiration process. This is easily tested by testing the resting or “static” breath hold (holding your breath for time). This is why pulsed magnetic therapy works on just about any ailment you apply it to. It literally gives your own cells more power to heal themselves. You may read the supporting material upon which I base my theory @ http://www.earthpulsetechnologies.com
“Nearly all psychological, neurological and physiological disease including aging, is the end result of mitochondrial dysfunction; and NOT the other way around.” ~ Paul F. Becker