A magnetic therapy for persistent depression is in huge demand in the Twin Cities. The treatment has roots at the University of Minnesota Dr. Ziad Nahas (MnDRIVE Neuromodulation Researcher) from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and M Health Fairview was involved in clinical trials that persuaded the FDA to approve TMS treatments for depression.
TMS involves magnetic coils that are placed on the scalp for around 30 minutes and direct pulses into the brain, usually at a golf-ball-sized target on the front left side that regulates mood. After one to two months of five-day-a-week treatments, about half of patients report some benefit and a third see remission of depressive symptoms.
