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Personalized Brain Scans Revolutionize Mental Health Treatment
5 Nov
Summary
- Personalized TMS uses fMRI to target individual brain circuits.
- OCD study shows significant symptom reduction in two patients.
- New depression and anxiety study aims for 30 participants.
NUH and NUS Medicine are advancing mental health care with personalized transcranial magnetic stimulation (pTMS), leveraging cutting-edge neuroimaging. This approach maps individual brain circuitry using fMRI to tailor magnetic pulse delivery, aiming for improved outcomes in patients resistant to standard treatments.
A completed study guided pTMS using "causal" brain circuits for severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In this world-first approach, two of four participants with treatment-resistant OCD experienced substantial symptom reduction, with one achieving zero symptoms post-treatment.
This personalized strategy is now being extended to a new study in patients with depression and co-occurring anxiety symptoms, beginning in October 2026. The research will investigate how tailored stimulation affects brain networks and symptoms over an extended period.
Early success in OCD patients, with one participant showing a 78% symptom reduction, highlights pTMS's potential. This innovative method offers hope, especially for those with conditions like OCD who have limited treatment options beyond surgery.
