Salience TMS is now offering a new research study of personalized treatment based on your heart rate: Neuro-Cardiac Guided TMS.
Recently, an international group of brain researchers has developed a simple but powerful method for fine-tuning the position of the TMS coil on the head during treatment: Neuro-Cardiac-Guided (NCG) TMS. By recording your heart rate during stimulation of several different sites on the head, NCG-TMS finds the locations where stimulation causes relaxation of your heart’s activity – an indicator that the TMS is reaching the parts of your brain that regulate your emotional states.
Salience TMS is now partnering with the leader of the NCG research group, Dr. Martijn Arns, of the BrainClinics Foundation, to see if NCG-TMS can help increase the chances of a successful outcome for people who are undergoing TMS treatment.
Information and Eligibility:
This research study is open to patients who are eligible for TMS and referred for treatment. Patients participating in the NCG-TMS study would have their mapping and daily TMS treatments at our Plano location (5300 W Plano Pkwy, Plano, TX 75093). Patients would undergo the usual TMS mapping process and treatment course with their provider, with two additional steps:
- Patients will receive a complimentary treatment between sessions #4-10 they will wear a comfortable EKG band (like a fitness monitor around the chest) to measure their heart rate, while TMS is performed at 4 slightly different treatment locations on the forehead. The whole session takes about 20-30 minutes. In this pilot study, the data we collect is sent for analysis. We will not use this data to make any clinical decisions regarding the patient’s treatment course. Patients will still receive the same standard treatment course as those not participating in the NCG-TMS study.
- A member of our team will conduct a complimentary depression severity interview on the first and last treatment.
There is no additional risk associated with the NCG-TMS process, and there would be no change to how we deliver TMS to our patients other than collecting additional data about heart rate, to see if there is a relationship to treatment outcome. Patients can still use their insurance to pay for treatment while enrolling in this study but must be 18 years of age or older.
By participating in this study, patients would be helping us develop a more personalized system for locating the best position for the TMS coil during treatment. If proven successful, the NCG-TMS technique could be adopted as a simple but effective way to improve the chances of achieving remission with TMS, in future courses of treatment.
What to Expect on the First Day:
- Patient meets with Patient Advocate to sign contracts and consents, as well as one additional consent form.
- Complete a 20-30 minute interview with a member of our treatment team reviewing the severity of the patient’s depression.
- Complete MT mapping as normal & begin treatment.
To learn more about the Brain-Heart Coupling TMS Study please reach out to your Patient Advocate or Care Navigator or contact us at (214) 880-8778!
