Transcranial magnetic stimulation - brain stimulation

Andy

Andy

Senior Member (Voting rights)
Copied post from the Solve ME News thread

From a Solve email.

Solve M.E. Partners with UCLA on ME/CFS Research
on Brain Stimulation

First time ME/CFS included in UCLA program

We’re excited to announce that Solve M.E. has partnered with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Iris Cantor Women’s Health Center to expand ME/CFS research through their Annual Health Pilot Program—the first time an ME/CFS study has been included. Solve M.E. will support a study by the UCLA Neuromodulation Division on a promising investigational treatment. The partnership is generously supported by Karl Zeile, a Solve M.E. board member, and Dian Zeile.

Fifteen female subjects will receive 20 sessions of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique with demonstrated efficacy for treatment of depression, pain, sleep, and cognitive symptoms which are common in patients with ME/CFS.

The treatment will include stimulation to two sites in the brain that can help relieve these symptoms (the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and primary motor cortex). Changes in brain activity will be monitored with high-density electroencephalography which can help to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying treatment of ME/CFS.

“We anticipate that rTMS treatment will significantly improve many of the symptoms of ME/CFS. Positive results from this study will provide proof-of-concept evidence for a novel rTMS treatment approach for ME/CFS to be validated in a future double-blind, randomized control trial,” said Juliana Corlier, assistant project scientist and Andrew F. Leuchter, MD, Professor of Psychiatry.

Solve M.E. Chief Scientific Officer Sadie Whittaker remarked, “We are thrilled that ME/CFS, a disease diagnosed four-fold more in women than in men, was included in the UCLA Iris Cantor Center Annual Health Pilot Program and could not be more excited about this project. We believe that this partnership with UCLA will help increase awareness of ME/CFS and open up conversations about how ME/CFS is diagnosed within UCLA Health.”
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Andy said:
Fifteen female subjects will receive 20 sessions of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique with demonstrated efficacy for treatment of depression, pain, sleep, and cognitive symptoms which are common in patients with ME/CFS.

The treatment will include stimulation to two sites in the brain that can help relieve these symptoms (the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and primary motor cortex). Changes in brain activity will be monitored with high-density electroencephalography which can help to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying treatment of ME/CFS.
Click to expand...

:eek::(
 
Snow Leopard linked a presentation on the placebo response here:
Viewpoint: “It’s All in Your Head”—Medicine’s Silent Epidemic
Snow Leopard said:
http://www.tmslab.org/tms class slides/067.pdf (PLACEBO EFFECTS & TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION by Burke)
Click to expand...

TMS is often claimed to be useful for depression. But it may well just be a very effective placebo. Here's an image from that set of slides - it did no better than a good sham treatment and the benefit was not sustained.

Screen Shot 2021-04-23 at 6.26.10 PM.png
 
Last edited:
Splashy Telegraph advertorial type article about a person, Etienne Ballard, an Osteopath, claiming to have been cured of 'chronic fatigue syndrome' by TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation). He had numerous massively expensive sessions (30 sessions) at the 'Naya Brain Clinic' in Marylebone, London.



From the article:


'For me, getting in touch with a university friend, Elliot Nation, about a year after first becoming unwell was the turning point in my recovery. An osteopath, like me, Elliot is one of the UK’s leading certified providers of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), working at Naya Health, a brain clinic in London.

TMS is a non-invasive, NHS-approved treatment for depression, with growing evidence supporting its use in chronic pain, fibromyalgia and CFS.

At my first appointment, Elliot explained how the brain interprets signals from the body and decides whether to generate symptoms like pain or fatigue. Put very simply, when we perceive overwhelming fear, our pain networks become overactive, meaning normal sensations can be amplified into severe pain, exhaustion, and “brain fog”. These responses are real, automatic, and driven by the nervous system, not imagined. It’s a way of offering protection – your body freezes and goes into a disassociation state, forcing you to pause so you realise there is something wrong, as a way to stay safe from harm.

TMS uses magnetic pulses applied to specific areas of the scalp to target how the brain processes sensory information, gently modulating dysregulated brain circuits, adjusting overactive or underactive networks, and enhancing connectivity between different regions of the brain. It helps us process incoming signals in a healthier way – reducing pain, fatigue, and other symptoms.'




Accessible Archive version of the Telegraph article:

.




(Not a recommendation)

The Nya Brain Clinic Site - "The Brain Can Rewire"

Advanced Drug-Free Pain & Mental Care : Naya Health

Naya Health offers safe, drug-free magnetic stimulation therapy for chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and fatigue. Experience lasting neurological relief.
www.wearenaya.com


List of the TMS clinical studies the Naya Clinic has on it's site:

Clinical Studies & rTMS Research : Naya Health

Explore Naya Health’s clinical studies on rTMS for fibromyalgia and mental health. Discover the science behind our advanced, evidence-based therapies.
www.wearenaya.com

.



From the Naya Clinic 'Meet our Expert Team and Advisors' page - that Clinic has big Brand Building ambitions, worryingly corporate language:

Meet Our Expert Team & Advisors : Naya Health

Discover Naya Health’s clinical leaders, advisors, and therapists bringing innovative care, neuroscience, and patient-first expertise to every journey.
www.wearenaya.com


.
 
Last edited:
Interesting. I know someone who had this recently on NHS for depression. It made not a jot of difference. She said she actually felt bad as the consultant was so enthusiastic and enthralled with this new treatment and she’s kind of burst his bubble as it didn’t help her.

It does seem to be the new “toy” of the moment. Like CBT was.
 
From a recent review - link to thread
It's not sounding very convincing.
Dolphin said:
Results
Following initial database searches, 1040 articles were identified and a total of three articles met inclusion criteria and were included. This review indicated that, whilst studies indicate positive findings for fatigue-related symptoms and functional abilities, the evidence for rTMS being a promising non-invasive treatment for ME/CFS is limited by small-sample pilot data and the critical absence of control groups within the current literature.

Conclusions
Larger cohorts, control groups, and standardised protocols are needed to improve generalisability and optimise reporting. Future research on rTMS in PwME should focus on feasibility, acceptability, and longer follow-up durations to track symptom improvement.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom