The initial response to the question – What effect does transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have on cognitive performance? – was that TMS would cause neurons to fire at random, disrupting normal cognitive function. So, when reports started cropping up suggesting that TMS improves cognitive performance, both researchers and clinicians alike were quite taken aback. In…
Details
Around the time transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was approved by the FDA in 2008, a few studies published findings concerning which individual patient characteristics might be associated with a robust antidepressant response to TMS. One such study (Fregni et al.) found that age was a statistically significant variable; that TMS produces a greater antidepressant effect…
Details
A new study released in October in Molecular Psychiatry explored what the optimal ketamine dose is for its use as an antidepressant. Most studies that have looked at ketamine’s ability to rapidly reduce depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation used 0.5mg/kg over 40 minutes as the target dose, and lower (ex: 0.1mg/kg) or higher (1.0mg/kg) doses…
Details
Since the early 1990s, the United States has been stricken with a methamphetamine epidemic. Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reveals that during 2016 the prevalence of methamphetamine among people ages 12 or older was 0.5 percent. This means approximately 1.5 million people ages 12 or older used methamphetamine in…
Details
On August 29th, The American Journal of Psychiatry published a research study out of Stanford University that aimed to explain the relationship between ketamine and the opioid pathway in the brain. Low-dose ketamine has been known to alleviate depressive symptoms for years, but researchers aren’t sure exactly how it works to ease depression. The main…
Details
It is well established that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has a positive therapeutic effect on patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). However, patients who have responded to TMS are often unsure how to proceed post-treatment. Is it okay to stop TMS completely? To answer this question, let’s look at the research on maintenance treatment. Maintenance treatment…
Details
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a painful debilitating neurological condition that accounts for approximately 1.2% of the adult chronic pain population. Patients with CRPS have pain, impairment of motor function, limitations in range of motion, and an exaggerated response to painful stimuli. Most cases of CRPS develop after a traumatic injury, such as a…
Details
When considering ketamine as a treatment for your depression, it is important to note that best results are achieved when multiple approaches are taken to your mental health care. A combination therapy approach will maximize the results of the ketamine infusions and significantly decrease your depression symptoms. Some treatment options that should be considered include…
Details
Ketamine Maintenance: So you’ve completed your initial ketamine treatment – what now? You’re feeling much better now, but will it last? Should you schedule more infusions? And if so, when? How many? These are all very common questions that patients have throughout their treatment course. Once you complete your initial “loading dose” of ketamine treatments…
Details
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy can be used as an alternative treatment method for those who have failed to tolerate or respond to various classes of antidepressants, or it can be used to augment the effects of medication. The clinical research trials on TMS have included studies where participants discontinued antidepressants as well as studies…
Details