Magnetic brain stimulation for depression in ETZ

The innovative magnetic brain stimulation therapy is used in the ETZ deployed in patients with depression that do not respond to traditional medications. The magnetic coil placed on the head delivers magnetic pulses in the direction of the prefrontal cortex. This is the brain region where emotions are regulated. The aim of the rTMS treatment is to positively influence the brain activity in that area.

rTMS as the first alternative

For the ETZ, the introduction of the rTMS treatment means that healthcare providers now have an extra tool for the treatment of patients suffering from depression. In addition, it offers patients for whom talk therapy, supplemented with medication, does not work, an alternative to the heavier electrocovulsive therapy (ECT). Although this treatment is very effective, it can also lead to memory loss as a side effect.

“An rTMS treatment has the advantage that it functions as a good intermediate step, is an excellent alternative to the use of medication and is not as taxing as ECT,” says Iris Dalhuisen, researcher in training at Radboudumc in Nijmegen.

An rTMS treatment room has been set up at the ETZ Elisabeth location in Tilburg. Patients are given magnetic brain stimulation in a comfortable treatment chair. “Patients can tolerate the treatment very well because the side effects are minimal. We mainly see minor headaches during or after the treatment,” says Dalhuisen.

Although rTMS is generally experienced as painless, the treatment is not completely numb. “Most patients do not find it bothersome at all, while others are more sensitive to physical sensations and therefore find it more annoying. Usually people notice that after a number of treatments, habituation occurs, which makes it very tolerable,” says Dieuwertje de Waardt, psychiatrist and principal researcher at the ETZ.

Research magnetic brain stimulation

As a coordinator, Iris Dalhuisen is involved in the DETECT study started in 2019 by Radboudumc, neuroCare Group Netherlands, Pro Persona and the ETZ. This study looks at the effect of rTMS on depressive symptoms in comparison with the usual medication treatment with antidepressants. It can now be concluded that an rTMS treatment achieves positive results. Very much when it comes to tackling depressive disorders. In combination with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), about sixty percent recover.

Within the ETZ, this treatment has recently been used more and more. “We treat many patients with rTMS and see that the therapy has taken off in our hospital in the last two years. For example, we are scheduling more and more patients for rTMS treatment,” says Dieuwertje de Waardt.