Depression is often the companion to brain injury. But those with Traumatic Brain Injury, TBI, may be getting some help on that front.
The Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre in Austalian is conducting a three-year study that will examine the use of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) as a way to treat those who suffer from depression after TBI. http://leader-news.whereilive.com.au/your-news/story/brain-trauma-and-depression-a-new-treatment/#
The TMS research is being funded through a grant that the Alfred center has received from the Victoria Neurotrauma Initiative, a $63 million fund dedicated to TBI and spinal-cord-injury research.
Researchers at the Alfred center noted that many don’t realize that depression is often common, although it’s sometimes not recognized, in those who suffer head injuries — even non-traumatic injuries.
The problem for those with TBI is that the medications typically used to treat depression don’t work for them, and there hasn’t been much research done on ways to treat depression of the brain-injured.
TMS, which is now approved for use in the United States, has been used to treat depression for about 15 years. It’s effective for 30 percent to 50 percent of those suffering from depression. But TMS hasn’t been used to combat depression in those with brain damage.
TMS uses a magnetic field to stimulate nerve cells in the brain. An electric plastic-coated coil device is put close to the scalp of the patient being treated, creating a magnetic field that triggers electrical activity in the tissue below the coil.
TMS helps improve a patient’s mood, motor control and cognitive functions.
