Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive, standardized form of brain stimulation. It uses magnetic fields to safely modify abnormal brainwaves, the electrical connections between brain cells, so your brain can function at its best. TMS is FDA-approved for the treatment of depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, migraine with aura, and smoking cessation. It is also used as an “off-label” therapy for other neurological and mental health conditions.
Magnetic qEEG-Guided Resonance Therapy (MeRT) is quantitative electroencephalogram(qEEG)-guided Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). It is a newer form of TMS. The qEEG maps the brain to identify areas of irregular brainwave activity as well as determine your brain’s signature optimal frequency. Based on individual qEEG data, a customized TMS treatment protocol is created that specifies targeted treatment location(s) and the exact magnetic frequency your brain operates best in. While TMS uses a “one size fits all” approach to brain stimulation therapy, MeRT individualizes TMS treatment to meet the needs of each person’s unique brain. With its targeted, individualized approached, MeRT requires less intense magnetic stimulation than TMS, which reduces the risk of side effects.
By enhancing brain functioning, TMS and MeRT can reduce clinical symptoms and improve your quality of life.
Did you know the brain is composed of approximately 100 billion neurons that interact through tiny electrical oscillations, or brainwaves?
The neurons in the brain can be disrupted by many factors:
Disruptions can be minimal or severe. Thanks to the neuroplasticity of the brain, brain function can be improved with a little help from science.
Our MeRT technology is powered by Wave Neuroscience and offered throughout the US at Brain Treatment Centers and BrainCare Performance Centers
Did you know that we all have 4 types of brainwaves that are associated with different frequencies and states of functioning?
Alpha (8-13 Hz), Beta (13-30 Hz), Theta (4-8 Hz), Delta (0-4 Hz)
“What we’ve learned is that everyone has a unique frequency or unique signature. All of us during our waking hours, we’re looking for something called an alpha frequency (8-13 Hertz) where our brain most comfortably operates in…you might be, for example, an 11.4 Hertz brain. I might be an 8.9 Hertz brain. And somebody else may be a 10.3 Hertz brain. It’s just kind of where we’re born…whether it’s through the physical trauma of a blast injury, or the chemical trauma of years of drug use, or the emotional trauma of seeing a loved one pass away, we may find areas of the brain that are not cycling at the same rate as the rest of our cortex. …
EEGs (electrical pictures of the brain) can tell us when there are abnormalities in neural networks… [then we] use this FDA cleared technology, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, to navigate to the area that’s not working properly and try to stimulate it and remind it that it wants to fire at a certain frequency and a certain rate.”
Dr. Erik Won, President of Wave Neuroscience, from his appearance on the Broken Brain podcast
“[These are] the frontal, central, and posterior portions of the brain. We can count how many brain waves there are per second. What we expect to find is this brain clock – this radio frequency in the brain that helps us conduct information – is the same in the back as we see in the central and frontal regions: There’s one peak and it lines up and it’s the same speed.
What we might find with a patient coming into our clinics with a concussion, they have in the front of the brain a slower frequency downstream of the injury. So they’re taking information in but they’re not able to keep up with it. When we look at autism we might find that this rhythm is disrupted everywhere in the brain.
Our goal is to take that EEG and specifically guide therapy settings to be individualized to a person’s brainwave activity.”
-Alex Ring, Director of Applied Sciences at Wave Neuroscience, speaking at Autism One Conference.
At Mālama Manaʻo, we work with you to make an informed decision about whether MeRT is the right treatment for you or your loved one.
- Contact our patient coordinator who will answer any questions you have about MeRT.
- Meet our MeRT clinician for a one-on-one initial consultation to go over questions, discuss eligibility, and clarify expectations for treatment outcomes.
- Complete a qEEG assessment. The qEEG is painless and takes approximately 20 minutes for compliant adults and children or up to 60 minutes for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
- Meet our clinician for a one-on-one consultation to review your baseline qEEG results and determine where MeRT can help.
- Schedule your MeRT treatment. Treatments are daily 30-40 minute sessions booked in 10 session increments over the course of 2 weeks (Monday-Friday). Follow-up qEEG assessments and clinician consultation are scheduled near the end of every 10 treatment sessions to assess your progress and inform continued care.
The recommended length of MeRT is six consecutive weeks in order to obtain maximized, long-lasting benefits of MeRT
Common Benefits of MeRT following four to six weeks of continuous therapy include:
- Better sleep quality
- Increased sleep duration
- Greater ability to cope with stress
- More relaxed
- Better concentration and focus
- Improved memory
- Reduced pain
- Mood improvement
- Increased attention span
- Increased sociability
- Increased motivation
- Decreased cravings for drugs and alcohol
- Increased emotional stability
- Increased ability to adapt to change
- Increased eye contact and communication (verbal/nonverbal) for autistic patients
- More “presence” and engagement with autistic patients
Anyone with the following devices or conditions cannot receive MeRT at Synapse:
Pacemaker, Defibrillator, Vagal Nerve Stimulator, VP Shunt/ Magnetic intracranial shunts, Deep Brain Stimulator, Epidural Cortical stimulator, Steel shunts/stents, Cranial metal fragments (i.e. shrapnel, excluding titanium), Cochlear implant, Aneurysm clips, coils, pipelines flow diversion, Pregnant or breastfeeding, Primary brain cancer / metastatic lesions in brain (unless palliative care), Magnetic dental implants, Implanted cardio-verter defibrillators (ICD), Ocular implants, Active or History of Seizure activity (last episode <10 years), *Bipolar Disorder Type I/II, *Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder, *Active Suicidal Ideation.
*May be treated at other TMS/MeRT centers, but not at Mālama Manaʻo
Anyone with the following devices or conditions require closer protocol attention and may or may not disqualify someone from receiving cortical MeRT treatment at Synapse:
History of seizure or seizure disorder (last episode 10+ years), Titanium shunts/stents, Spinal Cord Stimulator, Unremovable hearing aids, Ferrous cortical implants, Magnetic ink tattoo, Baha Implant.