“These data add to the impressive body of evidence that support the positive impact that TMS Therapy may have on patients living with major depression,” said Karl Lanocha, M.D., Medical Director of The TMS Center of New England, regarding the Neuronetics study.

The results of this study was released at the American Psychiatric Association meeting on May 15, 2011 in Hawaii.

The TMS Center of Colorado, LLC has been providing TMS therapy in Denver, Colorado since 2009. We serve the entire Rocky Mountain region including the front range communities; Colorado Springs, Boulder, Loveland, Fort Collins,  Longmont, Greeley, Denver as well as mountain communities such as Aspen, Vail and Steamboat Springs. We have also had patients from Wyoming, Montana and Missouri.

In addition to treating MDD, we are interested in the use of TMS for such off-label conditions as chronic pain, tinnitus, auditory hallucinations and Parkisons disease.

NeuroStar TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) Therapy is FDA-cleared for patients suffering from depression who have not achieved satisfactory improvement from undergoing prior prescribed rounds of antidepressant medications

TMS treatment has been FDA-cleared since 2008. The TMS Center of Colorado, LLC was the first NeuroStar provider of this therapy in Colorado. TMS Center of Colorado began accepting patients in late 2009.

This treatment is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation TMS or rTMS).  NeuroStar TMS therapy is a FDA cleared treatment for major depressive disorder. TMS has also been used clinically in off label treatment and in clinical research to treat a wide variety of other neuorlogical and neuro-psychiatric conditions, including: chronic pain, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), phantom limb pain, depression associated with Parkinson’s Disease, post partum depression, tinnitus, auditory halucinations, and other conditions.

The NeuroStar TMS therapy system has been available in Colorado since November 2009 through the TMS Center of Colorado, LLC, located in Denver. This center was the first in Colorado (and the Rocky Mountain Region) to treat patients using this state of the art technology. There is hope for those suffering from MDD and other conditions.

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Researchers from several international medical centers (including Rush University Medical Center, Stanford University Medical Center and the Mayo Clinic) selected 301 people with major depression that had proven resistant to antidepressant therapy. While 155 of the participants received a six-week treatment of TMS, 146 received a sham procedure.

A total of 142 people from either group whose depression abated after the six-week period went on to the second phase of the study, a three-week transition during which they were tapered off TMS treatment while starting on an antidepressant for maintenance therapy. During the six months that followed this phase, participants could receive additional TMS treatment if they showed signs of relapse.

Only 10% of the people who had originally responded well to TMS experienced a relapse in the six-month follow-up. What’s more, 84% of the people who received additional TMS treatment achieved symptom improvement and mood stability during the follow-up period demonstrating that TMS is a “meaningful rescue intervention.” The most common side effects of TMS reported in the study included insomnia, headache, anxietyand other effects.

TMS provides a relatively safe effective treatment for depression.

First and Only Non-systemic and Non-Invasive Treatment for Depression
Now Available in Colorado

NeuroStar TMS Therapy® Offers New Hope to People Living with Depression

DENVER, CO (OCTOBER, 2009) –Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Therapy , a revolutionary new treatment for depression and a range of other neuropsychiatric disorders, is now available at The TMS Center of Colorado, the first private clinic to offer this exciting new treatment. The NeuroStar TMS Therapy® system is the first and only device of its kind to be cleared for the treatment of depression by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (October 2008). The device is clinically proven for the treatment of major depression in adults who have failed to achieve satisfactory improvement from prior antidepressant medication.

“We are excited to be providing TMS Therapy and to be a part of this major step forward in psychiatry,” said Ted Wirecki MD, Medical Director and CEO. “Despite advances in treating depression, more than 30 percent of patients with this debilitating disease do not benefit from and/or are intolerant of antidepressant medications. Now, we have the option of offering patients the first and only non-systemic and non-invasive treatment for depression.”

TMS Therapy is a non-systemic (does not circulate in the bloodstream throughout the body) and non-invasive (does not involve surgery) form of neuromodulation that delivers highly-focused MRI-strength magnetic pulses to stimulate nerve cells in an area of the brain that is linked to depression. NeuroStar TMS Therapy is a 40-minute outpatient procedure that is prescribed by a psychiatrist, does not require anesthesia or sedation, and patients remain awake and alert.

NeuroStar TMS Therapy was demonstrated to be effective and safe in the treatment of depression in clinical trials. In an open-label clinical trial, which is most like real-world clinical practice, patients treated with NeuroStar TMS experienced a response rate (substantial improvement in symptoms) of 54% and 33% experienced remission (complete resolution of symptoms). Over 10,000 treatments were safely performed with no systemic side effects such as weight gain, sexual dysfunction, nausea, dry mouth, and sedation. The most common adverse event related to treatment was scalp pain or discomfort at the treatment area during active treatments, which was transient and mild to moderate in severity. The incidence of this side effect declined markedly after the first week of treatment.

“Studies demonstrated that treatment with NeuroStar TMS Therapy is safe and effective in patients who did not respond to prior antidepressant therapy,” said Dr. Wirecki. “Approximately 1 in 2 patients experienced a significant improvement in symptoms without side effects that are common with antidepressant medications.”

For more information about TMS at The TMS Center of Colorado, please contact Mandie Wolf at 303-884-3867 or mandie.wolf@tmscenterofcolorado.com.

About Depression
Depression affects at least 14 million American adults each year. Researchers estimate that by the year 2020, depression will be the second leading cause of disability worldwide. Each year, over 30,000 people in the U.S. commit suicide. 60 percent of these individuals suffer from depression. The economic burden of depression in 2000 was estimated at $83.1 billion in the U.S. Women are almost twice as likely as men to suffer from depression. However, some experts feel that depression in men is under-reported. About two-thirds of those who experience an episode of depression will have at least one other episode in their lives.

A study funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health, without any industry support, shows that magnet therapy can relieve depression and does so with few side effects.

Dr. Matthew Rudorfer, associate director for treatment research at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) says this means that depression patients now have a new treatment option.

What is TMS Therapy?

The segment shows patients who have received rTMS therapy with the NeuroStar Therapy System for treatment of depression and associated disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, OCD and other conditions. The take away;  rTMS therapy provided relief for their depression and associated disorder. There is hope for those who have tried other, more conventional treatments.  The NeuroStar Therapy System is FDA cleared to treat Major Depressive Disorder.

……………. after undergoing transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy offered by local psychiatrist Paul Buongiorno, Rhodes is getting up early, getting dressed and enjoying hobbies and interests she had abandoned in her depressed state.

TMS is non-invasive and non-systemic treatment for major depression. The NeuroStar therapy system received FDA clearance in 2009. This is the only FDA cleared TMS treatment device available in the United States at the present time.