Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Overview

Patient receiving a TMS treatment

The treatment coil produces a magnetic field that stimulates the brain.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a new treatment option at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for patients with depression. Mayo Clinic psychiatrists have performed thousands of TMS treatments since 2002 as a part of research on this new technology. Mayo was one of the first medical facilities in the U.S. to offer this minimally invasive treatment for depression after FDA approval in October 2008.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation is approved for use in adult patients who have completed at least one trial of antidepressant medication without success. The treatment is not covered by insurance at this time.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation uses magnetic pulses to stimulate nerve cells in the brain involved in mood regulation and depression. TMS is an outpatient procedure that doesn't require anesthesia, surgery or the implantation of electrodes. Patients usually have five brain stimulation treatments each week for up to six weeks.

The patient sits in a reclining chair and the treatment coil is placed against the scalp. The coil emits an intermittent magnetic pulse. Each treatment lasts about 40 minutes. Most people who benefit from TMS see their symptoms improve over a period of weeks.

Patients treated with TMS may experience total remission of depression symptoms. A 50 percent improvement in depression symptoms is common.

Patients may experience discomfort at the treatment site and facial muscle twitching during treatment, and headaches during or after treatment. Seizures may occur with TMS, though rarely, so it usually isn't recommended for patients with a history of seizures.

TMS treatment is available to patients under the care of specialists in Psychiatry at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.