Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) is an FDA-approved treatment for severe, treatment-resistant depression. iTBS uses the same machine and technology as TMS, except at a different frequency. To treat patients with iTBS, we find the treatment location, the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC) the exact same way as traditional TMS. In fact, the two treatments are nearly identical except for the different pulse frequency and the total treatment is 600 pulses as opposed to 3000 pulses with traditional TMS.
Many studies have shown that iTBS produces equivalent antidepressant effects as traditional TMS despite the shortened treatment time (and fewer number of pulses, see Blumberger et al., 2018*). This treatment takes only three and a half minutes to complete (versus 20 minutes with traditional TMS). This not only allows us to treat more patients with this life-changing treatment, but also allows you to get home faster!
To learn more about TMS, ask any questions, or find out how to get started with treatment please contact us at (212) 707-8662 or email us at [email protected]!
*Blumberger, D. M., Vila-Rodriguez, F., Thorpe, K. E., Feffer, K., Noda, Y., Giacobbe, P., … & Downar, J. (2018). Effectiveness of theta burst versus high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with depression (THREE-D): a randomised non-inferiority trial. The Lancet, 391(10131), 1683-1692.