FDA Clears Neurostar® TMS Therapy For The Treatment Of Depression

The chair – that is the first thing that pops in to my mind. I have posted about implanted brain defibrillators and now this therapy is a series of 4 to 6 weeks of treatment with no surgery, more brain therapy technology.

With the current status of our economy and stress levels, this therapy could be real popular quickly. There is a video at the site available here. If you are sad and miserable all the time, this could represent a fix. The site has both patient and physician links to request additional information.

It can be done at lunch time during working hours. I’m sure we will be hearing more in the near future about this technology, and who knows, a bout with depression could be just a few hours of brain stimulation to offer the cure without medications and side effect complications. BD

Neuronetics, Inc., a privately-held medical device company and a leader in the field of neuromodulation, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared its NeuroStar TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) Therapy system for the treatment of depression. NeuroStar TMS Therapy® is specifically indicated for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder in adult patients who have failed to achieve satisfactory improvement from one prior antidepressant medication at or above the minimal effective dose and duration in the current episode. In clinical trials with NeuroStar TMS Therapy, these patients had been treated with a median of 4 medication treatment attempts, one of which achieved criteria for adequate dose and duration.

The NeuroStar TMS Therapy system is the first and only TMS Therapy® device cleared by the FDA for the treatment of depression. TMS Therapy is a non-systemic (does not circulate in the bloodstream throughout the body) and non-invasive (does not involve surgery) form of neuromodulation which stimulates nerve cells in an area of the brain that is linked to depression, by delivering highly focused MRI-strength magnetic pulses. Patients being treated by NeuroStar TMS Therapy do not require anesthesia or sedation and remain awake and alert. It is a 40-minute outpatient procedure that is prescribed by a psychiatrist and performed in a psychiatrist's office. The treatment is typically administered daily for 4-6 weeks.