UC Berkeley Press Release

Deep TMS - A unique technology for non-invasive treatment of brain disorders

 

Initial Focus:

Non-invasive treatment of clinical depression

The Technology

 

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive technique used to apply brief magnetic pulses to the brain. The pulses are administered by passing high currents through an electromagnetic coil placed upon the patient's scalp...

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Applications

 

The unique technology of Brainsway Deep TMS enables non-invasive excitation or inhibition of practically any brain structure, in any deep or cortical brain region. Thus, a broad range of brain disorders may potentially be treated with this method.

 

 

 

Deep TMS – The Principle

 

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive technique used to apply brief magnetic pulses to the brain. The pulses are administered by passing high currents through an electromagnetic coil placed adjacent to a patient's scalp. The pulses induce an electric field in the underlying brain tissue. When the induced field is above a certain threshold, and is directed in an appropriate orientation relative the brain's neuronal pathways, localized axonal depolarizations are produced, thus activating the neurons in the relevant brain structure.

Standard TMS coils are limited to activation of only cortical brain regions, up to a depth of about 1.5 cm . Hence when treating depression with a standard TMS system, the limbic system, which is related to mood regulation and is generally deeper than 1.5 cm , is only indirectly affected, through secondary processes involving cortical structures, which are directly activated by TMS and then affect the deeper limbic system structures.

The unique technology of Brainsway Deep TMS System enables direct non-invasive activation of deep brain structures.

Deep TMS is a breakthrough in the search for a non-invasive approach for treating common brain disorders. Deep TMS uses a unique, patented coil design to produce directed electromagnetic fields that can induce excitation or inhibition of neurons deep inside the brain. The treatment is non-invasive, with no significant side effects, no systemic effect (in contrast to drugs), and no need of hospitalization or anesthesia.

 

 

Applications

The unique Deep TMS technology of Brainsway enables non-invasive excitation or inhibition of practically any brain structure, in any deep or cortical region. Thus, a broad range of brain disorders may potentially be treated with this technique.  In principle, any brain-related disorder that is associated with pathological activity of a specific brain site may be treated by repeated stimulation with Deep TMS, by taking advantage of brain plasticity.

 

 

The Technology

 

Deep TMS – The Principle
Potential Clinical Applications of Deep TMS
Deep TMS H System For Depression
The Treatment

 

 

Clinical Trials

Safety clinical trials with healthy volunteers

 

A safety and efficiency study at the NIH

 

A safety – cognitive study at Shalvata Medical Center, ISRAEL

 

Clinical trial - Depression

 

Clinical trial - Schizophrenia

 

Clinical trial - Bi-Polar Disorder