THE ESSENTIAL
- Depressed patients do not always respond to conventional treatments
- Low intensity waves to stimulate neurons have shown positive effects
- 90% of depressed people who do not respond to other treatments could be treated with this technique
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The magnetic field pulse is a minimally invasive method for the brain, which involves sending low-intensity waves to stimulate connections between neurons. It is this technique that scientists from the universities of Palo Alto and Stanford (United States) tested on 21 patients with severe depression and on whom medication and therapy had little effect.
Approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States, this treatment responds to the name of intermittent stimulation by theta rupture (iTBS). Patients were administered 10 daily sessions of iTBS (1,800 pulses per session, 50 minute interval between sessions) for 5 consecutive days.
At the end of the experiment, the severity of the depression was significantly reduced in almost all patients (19 of 21), says the study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Neuropsychological tests have shown no negative cognitive side effects, the publication said.
Other tests are necessary
While these results are encouraging, the study has several limitations, starting with the small sample size and the absence of a control group. “Double-blind, simulation-controlled trials are necessary to confirm the rate of remission observed in this first study,” warn the researchers.
However, if future tests confirm its effectiveness, brain stimulation could help almost 90% of patients with depression in whom other treatments do not work, say the study authors.
A study published in Brain Stimulation in 2017 had demonstrated the benefits of deep brain stimulation in 8 patients with severe and resistant depression. This method consists of implanting electrodes in order to deliver an electric current. Four patients managed to cross the clinical threshold of depression, reaching remission. All while avoiding side effects, such as blurred or split vision. However, this process remains more invasive than iTBS.
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