Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute is now offering a new treatment for patients suffering from clinical depression. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a procedure using magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain to improve symptoms of major depression. It is a non-invasive treatment, requiring no sedation or surgery, and delivers targeted personalized doses to the patient allowing optimal therapy.
“TMS gives physicians a new treatment option for patients who may not respond to traditional medications to control their depression,” said Rachel Rohaidy, M.D., a neuropsychiatrist at Miami Neuroscience Institute. “Mental health is important in every stage of life, and we want to make sure anyone who is dealing with a mental illness has access to some of the newest and innovative treatments that can provide patients with a new lease on life.”
The TMS procedure uses pulses of electromagnetic energy to target specific areas of the brain commonly associated with depression. With an MRI scan and the TMS unit’s sophisticated navigation tools, doctors are able to deliver electromagnetic energy to the precise location they target.
Patients who qualify typically receive TMS three days a week for 10 to 12 weeks. TMS is FDA-approved, and some patients notice a significant improvement and a 50 percent reduction in their symptoms after just three sessions. Dr. Rohaidy recommends patients should continue receiving psychotherapy during and after treatment.
Neurosurgeons at the Institute currently use TMS and MRI to perform pre-surgical brain mapping in patients with epilepsy and brain tumors. This helps identify areas of the brain associated with movement and speech, enabling them to avoid critical structures during surgery. Experts at Miami Neuroscience Institute are working to expand the use of TMS and conduct research on additional patients who suffer from mental health.
