Educational Information
What is Neuromodulation?
From the International Neuromodulation Society: "Neuromodulation is technology that acts directly upon nerves. It is the alteration - or modulation - of nerve activity by delivering electrical or pharmaceutical agents directly to a target area."
- There are a variety of conditions that neuromodulation technology can treat ranging from neurological disorders to mental illnesses.
- We research non-invasive neuromodulation technologies that will help improve the lives of patients suffering from neuropsychiatric disorders.
TMS Therapy
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (or TMS) is a non-invasive way to stimulate the brain using electromagnetic pulses. During treatment, a coil is placed on the head that will emit pulses at an intensity that is tailored to each patient or participant. Because the pulses activate the area of the brain that we are stimulating, the brain is essentially "working out" those weakened connections that can cause symptoms of dysphoria. Over time, those connections can become stronger again just like exercising a muscle.
TMS is cleared for the treatment of Depression, Anxious Depression, OCD and Smoking Cessation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). TMS does NOT require anesthesia and does NOT have cognitive side effects.
A brief video about TMS is available to watch on our Facebook page: click here.
Virtual Reality Therapy
Virtual reality (or VR) is a way of delivering an immersive experience to the user at home (in our case, in the lab). VR is commonly used to play videogames, watch 360-degree video and virtually tour locations around the world. We utilize our VR system as a therapeutic tool: participants are given a program to follow using our VR system that aids in the treatment of dysphoria.