Rewire, Rejuvenate, Rise: Your Pathway to Hope with TMS and Depression Treatment
Can we just chat for a moment about the beautiful brain? Did we just lose you? Hang in there; this post is going to blow your mind. Your brain is a powerful organ responsible for almost everything in your body. During a typical day, your brain uses about twenty percent of the body's energy. The mere fact that you are alive and thinking means that you are a calorie-burning machine, and it all comes from the brain. Additionally, your brain is eighty percent water, which is used in pathophysiological and psychological ways. Your brain is a powerhouse and one that you must nurture.
If you suffer from treatment-resistant depression and feel like you are under attack from the very source of life in your body, you aren't alone. While the above facts are phenomenal, there is one other thing you may not know about: neuroplasticity. Your brain can create new neural pathways and work in new ways. Here in lies the magic of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a revolutionary treatment option for those who need help with major depressive disorder symptoms.
Let's look closer at the brain and how TMS can be a treatment option for those with treatment-resistant depression.
What is neuroplasticity?
We briefly defined neuroplasticity in the introduction, but let's take a closer look at this powerful mechanism by which our brains create new neural pathways and lead to functional and structural changes that can benefit brain health and the treatment of depression.
Neuroplasticity refers to functional changes and adaptations made within the brain and is something our brains can do, provided the proper stimulation from internal or external sources. These adaptations are necessary for learning and survival, and our brains are incredibly adept at creating new pathways, allowing for changes within the brain. Simply put, your brain can "rewire" itself to accommodate changes. Your brain can literally reorganize itself to serve you best. In essence, neuroplasticity is growth through changes in function, connection, or structure.
Additionally, neuroplasticity plays a significant role in depression. Decreased neuroplasticity occurs with depression and other psychiatric disorders.
Brain structures involved in depression
The brain has many components, and they all utilize electrical connections to communicate. Your brain uses neurons to communicate, and you can think of this communication as a highway. Information is coming and going. There are stops and starts, exits, and places to rest.
The most studied area of the brain regarding depression is the hippocampus, a structure of the limbic system responsible for emotional and behavioral responses. While research cannot say if depression causes changes to the hippocampus or if a structural abnormality of the hippocampus causes depression, it is known that for those with depression, the hippocampus is not as actively engaged as it is in someone without a depression diagnosis.
We also know that the hippocampus is sensitive to stress and changes due to long-term depression. The connectivity it has with various brain structures, including the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, changes in those with depression.
But there is hope!!
Because we know the brain runs off electricity, think of all the neurotransmitters raging through your brain at this very moment, carrying information to various structures and telling your body what to do and feel. We also know that electrical stimulation is a way to create new activity, which can result in decreased depression.
If you look at PET scans of those in a depressive state, you can see the variations in activity in regions of the brain associated with depression. Think of depression as a low-level activity. Your brain isn't moving and shaking as it would when you are not depressed.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a treatment option that uses magnetic stimulation to increase activity in the regions of the brain associated with depression, literally igniting them and creating new pathways for connection and neuroplasticity!
What is treatment-resistant depression?
Understanding treatment-resistant depression is helpful in our discussion on rewiring the brain and neuroplasticity and why TMS is such a groundbreaking treatment option for those with TRD.
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) occurs when a patient has been on at least two different medications for major depressive disorder of an appropriate duration and dosage without relief. When medications and talk therapy, along with lifestyle changes, do not address your symptoms and your brain is still under-firing, TMS might be the solution for you.
Medications for major depressive disorder work on neurotransmitters in the brain in various ways, typically by preventing their reuptake between the synapses or by preventing monoamine oxidase from removing them from the brain. Simply put, they keep neurotransmitters in the brain longer or increase availability.
So, how does TMS help?
Much like medications, TMS boosts the amount of neurotransmitters within the brain much like medications but without the side effects. TMS also increases activity in structures of the brain associated with depression much faster due to the power of the magnetic field it creates, which, in turn, creates an electrical pulse to the brain-stimulating neurons. This stimulation rewires the brain and creates new neural pathways that help those with treatment-resistant depression. TMS is an FDA-approved and non-invasive treatment option that requires no downtime, allowing you to return to your day immediately.
TMS can be a life-giving treatment for those with treatment-resistant depression
Here at Goolsby and Associates, we know that every case is different. We value the individual and their needs. While we cannot discern if TMS is the best treatment option for you online, we welcome all inquiries. If this sounds like something you want to pursue, don't hesitate to contact our office and schedule a consultation.
We want to see you thrive. We also know that living with TRD can feel overwhelming. But, there is hope with TMS.