Summary:
Researchers in UCLA's Semel Institute and Department of Psychiatry have developed an innovative approach to treating depression by optimizing repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), improving its effectiveness for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and possibly diseases of the mind and brain.
Background:
Depression is a multifactorial disorder influenced by genetic, neurochemical, psychosocial, environmental, and hormonal factors. Conventional antidepressant medications are not reliable nor universally effective with low response and remission rates, including a wide array of potentially deleterious side effects. Alternative treatment options include Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a non-invasive approach that pulses the brain with electromagnetic energy to stimulate nerve cells and modulate the activity of brain networks in mood regulation. rTMS is generally used when patients continue to experience symptoms despite trying medication and other treatment options, and can also be used for smoking cessation, OCD, and other psychiatric disorders. While effective for some, current FDA-approved TMS protocols are time-intensive (requiring daily appointments for 4-6 weeks), costly, and do not yield consistent, therapeutically-effective results for patients. There remains a critical need for an optimized TMS strategy that improves efficiency, adaptability, and clinical outcomes in depression treatment and other neuropsychiatric disorders.
Innovation:
Dr. Leuchter and his research team have developed an innovative rTMS protocol to improve treatment efficacy. All existing rTMS protocols apply a single frequency or pattern of stimulation for the entire treatment session. This invention applies broad-band randomized frequencies of electromagnetic pulses to enhance neural activation for areas of the brain involved in mood regulation. The reported technique combines numerous frequencies in a repeated and randomized sequence within a session, an approach that is analogous to “white noise.” This method may boost nerve-cell activity and promote stronger synchronization of functional brain networks, even within a single session. Its cumulative effects lead to more efficacious network neuromodulation. Preliminary results suggest that this method may relieve symptoms of depression after only one day of stimulation.
Potential Applications:
● Treatment-resistant depression
● Other diseases of the mind and brain
● Neural circuit and brain network research
● Cognitive rehabilitation
Advantages:
● Maximizes neural network entrainment
● Induces faster therapeutic effects
● More rapid onset of treatment benefit
State of Development:
First complete description expected in a journal 09/01/25
Reference:
UCLA Case No. 2025-99J
Lead Inventor:
Andrew Leuchter, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry