In a press release dated June 24, 2024, the University of Helsinki presents two studies, carried out with researchers from Stanford University, that aim to make magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatment for depression more personalized. The team recorded the brain’s electrical responses by EEG during stimulation, with a robot holding the TMS coil, to understand which factors influence these responses. They found that the stimulation site in the prefrontal cortex strongly affects the quality and reliability of the responses, and that individually optimizing the site and coil angle may further improve measurement quality. The researchers hope that this measure could one day help predict who will benefit from TMS and tailor treatment, although more research is needed before clinical use. Read the full press release (in Finnish).
Brain electrical responses can be studied by measuring EEG during brain stimulation. In the picture, the Axilum Robotics TMS-Cobot holds the TMS coil. Photo: Juha Gogulski.