Posted by Psychquackery on August 24, 2003, at 22:23:43
In reply to rTMS sucess, posted by linkadge on August 24, 2003, at 11:51:34
> I've created my own rTMS device and have been using it over the last week or so.
>
> I followed the specifications of the trials used in Harvard. Ie frequency, position etc.
>
> I am very pleased with the sucess of it.
>
> Right now I am just taking lithium 450 mg, and
> am using rTMS 3 times per day.
>
> I know its working because the colors are starting to return. I started staring at the same shoes tht I've been wearing for a year, and am saying: I bought these? They just look so different, the green stands out and the my flesh color is completely distinct from my sock color.
>
> Sounds kinda like quackery but theres a lot of research behind it.
>
> 10hz sessions increased rat brain serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, as well as down-regulating the 5ht2a receptor and increasing BDNF expression significantly.
>
> I will keep you updated.
>
> Linkadge
>The latest issue of Scientific American is devoted to brain issues. Most of the articles are devoted to psychiatric problems and pitfalls in treating them. One of the articles is by none other than Dr. Mark George, who is probably the most outspoken proponent of rTMS in the USA. The article is titled "Stimulating the Brain" and discusses various MIBS modalities which sound futuristic, yet have yet to yield true clinical effectiveness for serious mood disorders.
In the article by Dr. George, he discusses a fact I hadnt known all these years since I personally had rTMS in 1999. He says that the effects of rTMS magnetic waves only reaches two or three centimeters...only reaching the outer cortex of the brain! This means that the present form of rTMS has little to no real clinical value in treating severe depression! According to the article, the "holy grail" among rTMS researchers is to find a way to stimulate deep brain structures in a way that ECT seizures do, but using magnetism.
So, in plain English, the article says that rTMS is about worthless for treating severe and refractory depresson. Any rTMS that only reaches the outer cortex of the brain is useless for treating the kinds of severe mood disorders typically reserved for ECT.
For myself, I will stick with ECT for now. ECT, according to noted ECT doctor Max Fink, stimulates "deep brain structures" such as the thalamus and pituitary gland. Resulting in profound neuroendocrine changes which wipes out depression...even psychotic depression and mania.
Check out the latest issue of Scientific American. Its chock full of useful info on rTMS, functional neuroimaging, Vagus Nerve Stimulation, etc. Interestingly even Dr. George lists ECT as the only effective treatment for depression. Despite all the rTMS research thats gone on...ECT still dominates.
Igor
poster:Psychquackery
thread:253579
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030823/msgs/253696.html