In very exciting news, researchers have found that TMS therapy can treat depressive symptoms in patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers.
A study was conducted to understand the efficacy of TMS therapy on depression on 20 individuals diagnosed with MS. Patients received 10 treatment sessions on 10 consecutive days. At the end of the 10 treatments, 5 out of the 6 patients reported improvement in their depression. Out of the entire group, 13 out of 20 patients also reported improvement in their depression, shown by an improvement in their Beck Depression Inventory scores.
“Multiple sclerosis…causes several physical and mental symptoms, with depression being a frequent symptom,” the researchers concluded. “This preliminary study suggests that TMS has potential for treating depression in people with MS.”
Sources:
Bando MO, Dias AE, Telles JAR, et al. Effect of transcranial magnetic stimulation on depressive symptoms in people with multiple sclerosis. Presented at: CMSC 2022 Annual Meeting; June 1-4, 2022; National Harbor, Maryland. Abstract MDC04.
Terrill, Aleta. “TMS for Multiple Sclerosis: Can It Help Treat Depressive Symptoms?” Neurology Advisor, https://www.neurologyadvisor.com/conference-highlights/cmsc-2022.
