|
Magnetic stimulation shown to alleviate PTSD
Psychological counseling and medications have been most commonly given to victims of posttraumatic stress disorder who experience a traumatic event. But now, magnetic stimulation of the brain has been found in preliminary trials at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalems Ein Kerem to alleviate PTSD.The hospitals psychiatry department teamed up with Jerusalems Brainsway company, which initiated and funded the study of deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (DTMS). The painless, non-invasive treatment is also being used against bipolar (manicdepressive) disorder and other psychiatric problems. According to Hadassah, results of the DTMS treatment show so far that it is effective and safe in treating PTSD, whose symptoms include reliving the event, thus disturbing daily routines; repeated nightmares; strong, uncomfortable reactions to situations that remind victims of trauma of the event; emotional numbing; a feeling of detachment and lacking a future; avoiding places, people or thoughts that remind them of the event; difficulty concentrating; irritability; and sleep problems, among others. The magnetic signals cause electrical changes that wake up brain neurons, the psychiatrists explain. According to surveys, seven percent of the general population in Israel suffers from PTSD an accumulation of suffering resulting from the Holocaust through terror attacks, road accidents, wars and other events. The technique has been used for about a decade on people with depression, but the Brainsway device allowed stimulation of larger and deeper sections of the cerebral cortex. The technique deals with the needs of people suffering from serious or resistant aspects of the syndrome, explained Hadassahs Dr. Moshe Isserles, who heads the team. The problem is that for a significant number of sufferers, medications and psychological care arent effective enough, and many symptoms remain. Thirty patients volunteered to take part and were divided into three groups: The first received DTMS after a short recall of the traumatic event; the second received the magnetic treatment without recalling the event; and a third received a placebo treatment without magnets. after recalled the trauma. Data on 26 patients who received at least eight treatments each were analyzed according to the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale. An objective analysis showed that the first group improved significantly, with less improvement in the second group. The benefits continued from the beginning of treatment until it ended, and the improvement remained so two months after that. In the patients who received a placebo, there was no decline in symptoms. Isserles explained that the number of nightmares, flashbacks, overstimulation and avoidance declined significantly, while moods and functions improved. This was the first study of its type in DTMS; very few studies on the effects of magnetic signals have included not only the stimulation but also recollection of the trauma, he said. Many studies identified reduced brain activity in a certain region of frontal cerebra; cortex and increased activity in the amygdala (responsible, among other things, for reactions to fear). Using DTMS can help reduce exaggerated fears that are the basis for PTSD, concluded Isserles, who will expand the clinical work. Posted by: 2011-08-30 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=328907 |