The Potential Benefits of TMS for Cognitive Dysfunction
Can you use TMS to improve symptoms of cognitive dysfunction? Many people are discovering that this revolutionary treatment is creating improvements in brain health and memory after struggling with cognitive issues. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a treatment mode that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain. Currently, TMS has U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the use of treating major depression that has not been responsive to other treatments. It also has FDA approval for use in helping with smoking cessation. However, TMS is commonly used for off-label reasons to treat autism, mood issues, and more. As a noninvasive procedure, TMS is a gentle option that doesn’t require incisions or sedation. In this article, we’ll cover some of the latest developments on using TMS to treat cognitive dysfunction.
Understanding Minor Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a stage that is experienced between the expected age-related decline in memory and thinking and the more serious decline into dementia. While cognitive decline is generally associated with advanced age, it can occur at younger ages among people who are at risk due to genetics, substance use, mental health, and a variety of other factors. The hallmarks of MCI are struggles with memory, language, and judgment. Many people with minor cognitive impairment are fully aware that their mental acuity has declined. Feeling mental function slip away can be a stressful and demoralizing experience. Common symptoms experienced by people with cognitive impairment include:
- Being forgetful.
- Missing appointments, meetings, or social events.
- Having trouble following along with plots in books or movies.
- Regularly losing your train of thought.
- Struggling with task completion.
- Struggling with following instructions.
- Being unable to finish tasks.
- Getting lost easily when taking familiar routes.
- Exhibiting poor judgement.
Unfortunately, cognitive impairment also elevates a person’s risk for experiencing depression, anxiety, and aggression. A person with cognitive impairment may also have a lack of interest in things that used to get them excited and motivated. Finally, friends and loved ones often notice changes in behavior and attitude. They may find that the person suffering from decline has a short temper.
TMS May Improve Brain Density
Can TMS make the brain grow? Research shows that TMS actually increases neurogenesis in a portion of the brain called the hippocampus. The hippocampus plays a major role in memory, learning, and emotion. In addition, it’s linked with emotional processing that can include anxiety and avoidance behaviors. However, the biggest task of the hippocampus is to transform short-term memories into long-term memories. We rely on the hippocampus to remember dates, facts, names, and times.
In mice studies, daily TMS treatments were linked to the growth of new brain cells in brains that had previously experienced signs of atrophy in the hippocampus. This news isn’t actually all that surprising to researchers who have been following along with applications for TMS in recent years. TMS’s antidepressant effects may be owed to the treatment’s ability to stimulate neuroactivity in areas of the brain that experience alterations linked with depression and mood issues.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Cognitive Impairment
When researchers studied the effects of using TMS to address mild cognitive impairment in the elderly, they discovered that 10 consecutive sessions of TMS led to improved everyday memory. Additionally, an analysis looking at 12 different randomized controlled trials found that TMS can improve cognition in patients with mild cognitive impairment. The results of the analysis also show that TMS provides the strongest benefits when applied at a high frequency for a prolonged period of time.
TMS for Memory and Learning
When researchers studied the effects of TMS on memory and learning in rats, the results showed that cognitively impaired rats saw substantial improvements. In fact, older rats saw their memory performance boosted to reach levels similar to young rats. While the mechanism isn’t 100% clear just yet, researchers believe that TMS is effective when treating rats with existing memory damage because it engages their residual neural plasticity while also carrying out compensatory rewiring of brain connections.
This is a way of saying that TMS works similarly to the way that rehabilitation treatments can help a person who has had a stroke to relearn tasks using targeted brain-based and physical therapies. However, the difference is that TMS can potentially provide the benefits in a much faster, more passive way that doesn’t require intensive rehabilitation work. Of course, TMS may also have the potential to be combined with traditional rehabilitation therapies in a way that is complementary. In one study that looked at transcranial magnetic stimulation in Alzheimer’s disease, it was discovered that high-frequency TMS combined with cognitive training may have a synergistic effect that helps to improve cognition for several months at a time.
Other research has shown that TMS has a positive effect on a person’s ability to perform mental tasks. The results are especially poignant when looking at tasks related to discerning visual patterns, working out math problems, or recalling lists of unrelated words. Recent studies have also shown that TMS can help to improve cognitive functions in areas connected with concentration, executive functions, working memory, and long-term verbal memory.
What to Expect From TMS Therapy
TMS therapy involves fully external stimulation of the brain. While it uses gentle pulses, this treatment should not be confused with “shock therapy” or other invasive procedures. During treatment, gentle pulses created by a magnetic field are applied to targeted areas of the brain to promote neuroplasticity that may help to essentially “rewire” the brain. By “waking up” various parts of brain circuitry, TMS may help to restore normal function in areas of the brain that are atrophied.
Who Can I Talk to About TMS for Cognitive Dysfunction
There is so much exciting research being done on brain health involving TMS! While TMS only has FDA approval for select purposes at the moment, its popular use as an off-label treatment for depression and cognitive issues is helping people all over the world experience rejuvenated mental sharpness.
Learn if TMS therapy is right for you — Contact us to book a consultation with one of our physicians.
