Other Uses for TMS Therapy

There are currently four TMS devices on the U.S Market today: The NeuroStar by Neuronetics, the H-Coil by Brainsway, the Rapid2 by Magstim, and the MagVita by Magventure. Between these four devices, the FDA has only cleared treatment usage for two conditions: Major Depressive Disorder and Migraines. However, TMS has been rigorously studied as a treatment for other conditions including Fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s Disease, OCD, PTSD, and Bi-Polar Disorder. Even today, some doctors and many hospitals are trying experimental techniques to help uncover the vast potential of TMS technology.

TMS is poised to become a valuable tool for relieving symptoms of a great number of conditions. However, it cannot be stressed enough that the only uses which have been officially cleared by the FDA are for the treatment of Major Depression and Migraines. Your doctor or psychiatrist can still prescribe TMS to treat other conditions, but any use other than what was cleared for that specific TMS device is “Off-Label,” and as such is officially considered experimental.

Click through this page to discover more about the currently cleared uses of TMS and the potential (currently Off-Label) uses.

FDA – Cleared Uses

Major Depressive Disorder

Most of the content in this site is dedicated to TMS and Major Depressive Disorder. That is no coincidence. The Neurostar by Neuronetics, Rapid2 by Magstim, MagVita by MagVenture, and the Israeli-based Brainsway are all devices cleared by the FDA to treat this one single condition. We won’t go into too much detail here, as the rest of the site is mostly committed to understanding how TMS helps alleviate symptoms of Depression, but the results are widely-documented and far reaching. Since being cleared by the FDA in 2008, TMS devices have been used on over 30,000 patients with 60 percent showing significant improvement.

Migraine Headaches

Spring TMS by eNeuro is new to the scene, having only been cleared by the FDA in early 2014. Migraines have long been the focus of TMS research. It seems that if caught right before the migraine starts, TMS may be able to head off symptoms and lessen the chance of a full-blown migraine attack. However, migraines can be tricky and they are known to manifest differently from one person to the next and with each occurrence. As it is right now, the eNeuro device is only cleared for Migraines that are accompanied by auras. Auras are a very specific symptom of certain migraines which often manifests as the perception of a strange light, an unpleasant smell, or confusing thoughts or experiences. The margin of time between an aura and the onset of a migraine attack is very short, so having a prescribed TMS device handy is very important.

Other “Off-label” Uses

PTSD

Perhaps the most rigorously tested off-label use for TMS is with PTSD. Indeed, the military has long been interested in the untapped potential of TMS, whether it is for boosting cognition, raising alertness, or healing wounded brains. PTSD has taken the forefront in many medical studies, and it is becoming clear that it is a hard condition to treat. However, TMS has shown promising results.

While there is still more research needed into what specifically causes PTSD and how it affects patients, there is a wealth of information available to suggest that one of the major symptoms is a severe chemical imbalance in the body, specifically in the brain. One theory proposes that high adrenaline and low cortisol can imprint patterns on the brain which affect the pathophysiological makeup of the brain. Researching the effects of TMS on PTSD involves measuring the changes that TMS Therapy has on the debilitating patterns in the brain, restoring it to pre-trauma physiology.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a terrible condition that affects tens of millions of people in the United States alone. Chronic pain is most commonly associated with this condition as is a change in emotional state, but symptoms can include everything from disrupted sleep, to dizziness, and frequent urination. Fibromyalgia was long thought to be rooted in a mental causation. Recent studies have found, however, that this disease may actually have a physical causation. An influential study in 2014 by a French research team used TMS to treat symptoms in patients suffering from Fibromyalgia. The study claims that the TMS effected the metabolism of the brain allowing for an alleviation of symptoms.

It should be noted that the science behind Fibromyalgia is at times very divided, especially when determining causation for the disease itself. However, doctors abroad and here in the United States are actively running clinical studies and tests to determine if TMS has any real or lasting effect for patients. If nothing else, TMS is helping researchers better understand the root cause and functioning of this disease.

Bipolar

Admittedly, too little research has gone into bipolar depression. Despite being cleared for other depressions, research at the moment has seemed to overlook this one condition. However, certain doctors and small clinics have conducted and reported on local studies involved with treating Bipolar depression with TMS Therapy. The results have largely been fair to positive. There have been a few reports that TMS may spur a manic episode in patients with Bipolar Disorder, but again, far too little research has gone into the effects of TMS on this condition.

Bipolar disorder is notoriously difficult to treat with antidepressants, as they cannot always respond quickly enough to the manic highs and lows associated with the condition. There is hope that TMS is a therapy versatile enough to respond to the quickly changing symptoms of this disorder.

Parkinson’s Disease

There has been great interest in TMS as it pertains to Parkinson’s Disease. Recent studies which applied TMS to the supplementary motor area have shown TMS to be effective in controlling the motor functions of patients with Parkinson’s Disease. It should be noted that, in humans, the supplementary motor area tends not to be viewed as a neatly defined region, but wide-spanning networks of sub-regions. Furthermore, little is known of this area and research into it tends to yield considerably more hypotheses than facts.

As it is, Parkinson’s Disease operates under a myriad of possible causation, including physiological, neural, and anatomical. However, studies which yielded positive results using TMS only address the neural. Therefore, many researchers and advocates for the disease are quick to point out that TMS is a viable therapy for patients suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, but that it should be viewed as an “add-on”.

Autism and Aspergers

The research on Autism and Aspergers is growing daily. However, certain studies show that types of autism can be linked to the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, which has been shown to be under active in these cases. Furthermore, activity in the DmPFC has been linked to the ability to understand others’ preferences, altruistic behavior, and making rapid evaluations about love interests, all of which people with autism are capable of, but may express in non-conventional ways.

Studies using TMS on patients with high-functioning autism have shown that stimulating the DmPFC will, over time, improve these social skills. Researchers in this field are quick to point out though that TMS only helps with the symptoms, and that more research into the root cause of autism is required if curing or completely treating the condition is to occur.

Tourette Syndrome

There has been periodic yet fierce interest in TMS as a therapy for Tourette Syndrome. Interestingly enough, it was TMS which helped British researchers in 2011 uncover the mechanical functioning of Tourette Syndrome. This suggested to them that the condition was predominately a function neural connections. Studies of TMS and Tourette Sydrome have since taken the line that misdirected neurons in the brain lead to hyper excitability in regions which control motor function. The thinking goes that using TMS to turn off certain neural pathways and excite others may lessen the symptoms of the condition and provide a non-invasive and non-medical treatment.

Alzheimer’s Disease

Since TMS was cleared in 2008, and even before, there has been tremendous interest in using it as a therapy to help alleviate the symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s Disease. In all fairness, the correlation is certainly there. Almost as a parlor trick, TMS is continually paraded out for news outlets as a technology shown to have immediate and measurable influence to cognition and memory boosting.

Many clinical trials and studies have been conducted to isolate the most effective ways to use TMS in treating Alzheimer’s and there is a lot of scientific literature to show for it. A frequently implored technique in these studies is to pair TMS therapy with cognitive training. Repeatedly, studies which implement this technique tend to show positive and measurable results, with patients scoring higher points on the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive after undergoing the therapy/training.

Impulse Disorders

Already today, studies and press presentations have show that TMS can have a mysterious effect on free-will, since as certain regions of the brain are turned off or excited they can be overpowered by suggestion and innate behavior. So, it is no surprise that exploration of impulse disorders would draw the attention of researchers.

As it turns out, there are well-defined regions of the brain which influence self-control with respect to thoughts, emotions, and behavior. In cases where patients are showing a sign of low connectivity in this region, TMS Therapy has been shown to activate these dormant neurons and reverse a large swath of conditions. This includes everything from OCD to eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia. Research into these areas is emerging, to say the least, and for many, like the aforementioned eating disorders, there is little peer-reviewed work to build upon. However, it is a field of great interest for researchers, and promises to be a well-explored possible use for TMS moving forward.

ADHD

At the onset of TMS Therapy, research into ADHD was becoming very popular. However, it seems to have waned a little in recent years. This is unfortunate as TMS shows very strong potential in helping to treat ADHD.

ADHD is one of the most commonly diagnosed developmental disorders, and causes for the disorder have been isolated to primarily genetic and environmental factors. Evidence suggests that specific circuit abnormalities, mainly in the right hemisphere, are responsible for most of the disturbed sensory integration. More to the point, dopamine seems to be the main neurochemical alteration underlying these abnormalities.

This is important to note, because TMS has been shown to have a direct effect on dopamine when treating Major Depressive Disorder. It is perhaps this correlation more than any other that shows TMS as a promising therapy for ADHD. However, it is also important to note that ADHD initially effects people in adolescence and that TMS Therapy is strongly discouraged for anyone under the age of 18.

Stroke Recovery

Stroke is the leading cause of long-term and permanent disability in the United States. It is widely agreed and well documented that immediate and intensive therapy can help repair the havoc wreaked by those lesions left on the brain. As it turns out though,TMS may be able to help in recovery. Many small clinical studies have employed TMS right after a stroke to help activate and repair regions of the brain that were shut down and injured from stroke.

Stroke recovery is one of the most active areas of off-label TMS study, but also one of the most tricky. For instance, TMS is most effective right after a stroke, but so are almost all other therapies. It is well documented that a person’s body is naturally prepared to heal itself best right after a stroke when genes involved in body and brain repair are most active. So, in this instance, it is difficult to tell empirically just how effective TMS actually is. But as said earlier, TMS and stroke recovery are of great interest and it looks to be a trend that will continue.

Epilepsy

One out of three patients suffering from epilepsy find little or no relief from medications. For this full third of patients, alternatives are far from non-invasive and include surgically implanting a vagus nerve stimulator or surgically removing suspected brain tissue that may be causing the epileptic seizures. However, despite the intensive treatment, relief is far from assured.

Conversely, TMS has shown to help control epilepsy in approximately 50 percent of test subjects over a series of trials and studies. Converse to the way TMS affects impulse control, stimulating the brain of an epileptic patient is thought to decrease the excitability of the triggering regions and greatly lessen the chance of seizures. Furthermore, those for whom TMS works remain free of symptoms for weeks and months between maintenance visits.

Much of the research has actually gone into treating adolescents, and researchers are actively pursuing opportunities to further their testing.

Tinnitus

Perhaps the strangest and most unexpected use of TMS is in treating tinnitus. Tinnitus is the perception of sound in one or both ears when there is no external source. It can include ringing, hissing, roaring, whistling, chirping or clicking. About 50 million Americans have at least some tinnitus and about 2 million are seriously debilitated, according to the American Tinnitus Association. There is no cure.

Naturally, most people assumed that tinnitus is caused by something in the ear. However, doctors have recently discovered clues that suggest it is not actually a function (or dysfunction) of ear structure, but instead faulty pathological wiring in the brain.

TMS is often studied as a way to clear this neural misdirecting and instead rewire for a healthy, noise-free brain. This is done specifically by focusing on the auditory regions of the brain. The US military and various organizations have been keen to fund research into TMS and tinnitus. As such, it is one of the more studied and reported upon off-label uses for TMS.

Schizophrenia

There is plenty of research into the use of TMS Treatment for Schizophrenia, especially regarding auditory hallucinations. Most of the research shows some level of promise, but for any observed effectiveness, there seems to almost always be a conflicting observation that calls that result into question. At this time, the effective treatment of any schizophrenic symptom with TMS is simply not consistently observed or reported on.

In a nutshell, Schizophrenia is a disease in which the predominant symptom is auditory hallucinations. And for all Schizophrenic patients, 40 percent will experience little to no relief from medication. It is this specific group which has been studied most comprehensively.

Among these treatment-resistant patients, MRI scans show a general trend towards hyperactivity in the left temporo-parietal cortex. By focusing on this region, it is believed that TMS can inhibit some of the hyperactivity and restore better balance to this region of the brain. Indeed, focusing on his region with these particular patients has shown to yield considerably better results as opposed to applying TMS to other regions, including certain auditory regions.

Addiction

It might be surprising for some to learn, but addiction (specifically chemical addiction) has real effects on the structure of the brain. This is something that has been shown countless times in countless studies. Conversely, TMS has been studied extensively on those certain regions of the brain which have long been shown to be effected by addictive cravings. Specifically, the prefrontal cortex and insular cortex are shown to be positively effected by TMS, such that, in clinical studies patients have been shown to stop craving cigarettes and even lose desire for powerful drugs like cocaine.

New research and information about TMS is being published all the time. You can stay current with exciting news and developments with our custom RSS feed. Check it out below!

Other Uses for TMS Therapy

FDA – Cleared Uses

Other “Off-label” Uses

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