TMS Treatment of Depression

Depression is a widespread disorder that affects up to 20 % of people in the course of their lives. unfortunately, for one third of patients, the disease does not respond adequately to treatment with medication and psychotherapy. For this reason, the development of hirnstimulatorischer treatment procedures for depression has been decisively pursued in recent Years.

The transcranial magnetic stimulation (tms) is particularly gentle in these treatment procedures, as it does not cause seizure or anesthesia. The TMS has been successfully used in several therapy studies Worldwide.

In the tms, brain areas that are held on the head are stimulated, which stimulates the energy metabolism of the nerve cells and results in an antidepressant effect. In this way, the TMS enables a painless, gentle and mild treatment of Depression. In order to be able to develop their effects, a one-hour treatment session is necessary over a period of three weeks. A simultaneous drug and psychotherapeutic treatment is not disturbed by an additional TMS Therapy.

A special feature of TMS therapy in our clinic is the use of the most modern Neuronavigation. To be able to pinpoint the brain area to be stimulated as precisely as possible, a layer image of the head (magnetic resonance tomography, Mri) is made before the first TMS Session. Based on this recording, a digital model of the brain is created, so that individual differences in the brain anatomy are taken into account in the orientation of the solenoid Coil. Such Neuronavigierte TMS therapy is offered only in a few centres and has the potential that an anti-depressant effect will not only occur more quickly but also be more sustainable. This potential is currently being examined in several clinical studies sponsored by the Ministry of Innovation, science, Research and Technology (miwft (ministry) of the state of North Rhine-westphalia and by the University of Bonn.

If you are interested in participating in a study and would like to register for a consultation, please contact the TMS-Team of our clinic.

Maximilian Kiebs M.Sc, M.Sc.
Phone: +49 228 287-19710

Margaretha Klein