As a growing number of people have experienced first hand, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapy is having a profound impact for individuals struggling with treatment-resistant depression and other mental health challenges. Between 2008 and now, TMS has expanded from being FDA Approved for only severe depression, to also being FDA Approved for anxious depression, smoking cessation, OCD, and peripheral pain, with NeuroStar securing approval for treating adolescents ages 15 and up, and Brainsway expanding its approved agreement range from ages 22 – 65 to ages 22 – 86. As research continues, physicians and patients alike are encountering novel ways this non-invasive treatment is offering hope where other interventions fall short.
New AI Driven Initiative
Advancing AI-enabling software and tools to detect patterns of brain activity are helping us rise in innovation to predict a patient’s likelihood of responding to TMS therapy. Using electroencephalography (EEG), clinicians will be able to use brain wave patterns to directly inform treatment decisions, ensuring patients receive the care that’s right for them.
The goal is simple but profound: to make mental health care more precise, accessible, and effective. For clinicians, this could be a game-changer—a way to streamline the decision-making process and provide personalized care with confidence. For patients, it means less trial and error and more targeted treatments, leading to better outcomes and a faster path to recovery.
To learn more about what the early research on EEG-TMS biomarkers is suggesting about the future of care, check out this 2024 overview published in Biological Psychiatry here!