By Dr. David Woo - May 7, 2021

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a breakthrough treatment for patients with depression who do not find relief from their symptoms with antidepressants. There are currently seven FDA-approved TMS machines used in clinics across the US. Madison Avenue TMS & Psychiatry is proud to announce that, in addition to the NeuroStar^® repetitive TMS machine, we now offer deep TMS (dTMS) using the BrainsWay Deep TMS machine. We believe that deep TMS will provide benefits to many of our patients. 

How Effective Is Deep TMS? 

Deep TMS is proven and FDA-approved to reduce and eliminate symptoms of depression, OCD (obsessive-compulsive behavior), and to help with smoking cessation. (1,2,3)

Depression: One study shows that deep TMS is twice as likely to help patients with major depression achieve remission compared to sham (placebo) treatment. Participants in this study were patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder who did not respond to at least three or four antidepressants. (4)

OCD: Another study proves the safety and effectiveness of deep TMS in treating patients with OCD. This study included patients in 11 clinics across the US. After six weeks of treatment, patients who received deep TMS treatment were three times more likely to show response to treatment, compared to sham (placebo) treatment. At follow-up one month after treatment completion, 45.2% of patients who received active dTMS reported response to treatment, compared to 17.8% who received sham treatment. (5)

Smoking cessation: Finally, research proves that dTMS can help reduce cravings and consumption of tobacco cigarettes. One study shows that after just two weeks of dTMS treatment, 44% of participants achieved abstinence. Six months after treatment completion, 33% of participants continued to report abstinence. Study participants were adults who smoked at least 20 cigarettes a day and failed previous attempts to quit. (6)

How Does BrainsWay’s Deep TMS Machine Work?

The Brainsway TMS machine is the only FDA-approved TMS machine that uses an H-coil–all other TMS machine brands use a figure-8 coil. The H-coil distributes magnetic pulses across more areas of the brain and allows magnetic pulses to penetrate deeper regions of the brain. 

During a deep TMS session, the technician carefully fits a helmet over the patient’s head. The helmet contains the H-coil that safely emits magnetic pulses. These magnetic pulses electrically stimulate certain regions of the brain to regulate brain behavior. 

Who Is Likely to Benefit From Deep TMS (dTMS)? 

Deep TMS is recommended for patients who struggle with symptoms of major depression, OCD, and who wish to quit cigarette smoking, and have not made progress with other treatments such as medications.

Most people who are candidates for traditional TMS (rTMS) are also good candidates for dTMS.

Contact Us to Learn More

Deep TMS is proven to help patients, even when medications don’t. If you’ve been diagnosed with depression, OCD, or you are struggling to quit smoking and would like to learn more about deep TMS and whether it is right for you, contact us online or call us at 212.731.2033. 

Resources:

1. Reuters. Brainsway gets FDA approval for anti-depression device. Published January 09, 2013. Link. Accessed April 09, 2021.

2. FDA permits marketing of transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder. FDA. Published August 17, 2018. Link. Accessed April 09, 2021.

3. BrainsWay Receives FDA Clearance for Smoking Addiction in Adults. Published August 24, 2020. Link. Accessed April 09, 2021.

4. Levkovitz Y, Isserles M, Padberg F, et al. Efficacy and safety of deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for major depression: a prospective multicenter randomized controlled trial. World Psychiatry. 2015;14(1):64-73. Link. Accessed April 08, 2021.

5. Carmi L, Tendler A, Bystritsky A, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Prospective Multicenter Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial. Am J Psychiatry. 2019;176(11):931-938. Link. Accessed April 09, 2021.

6. Dinur-Klein L, Dannon P, Hadar A, et al. Smoking cessation induced by deep repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the prefrontal and insular cortices: a prospective, randomized controlled trial. Biol Psychiatry.2014;76(9):742-9. Link. Accessed April 09, 2021.

Dr. David Woo

Dr. Woo has been seeing patients in private practice since 2002, always with the goals of combining evidence-based medicine with psychodynamic psychotherapy and collaborating with other mental health professionals to ensure the best possible outcomes for his patients. He has been certified to administer TMS at his practice since 2017. His greatest clinical interests include helping patients suffering from depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder.