Home-use TES with PlatoWork: a promising solution for TMS maintenance therapy

If you are a TMS provider searching for a sustainable at-home alternative that can complement your TMS service and assist to solve the challenge of continuation and maintenance therapy, then tDCS might be the solution for you.

According to clinical studies on the effectiveness of TES in treating depression, as documented in the literature (Lefaucher et al., 2017, Fregni et al., 2021), the PlatoWork headset shows great potential as a complementary tool to maintain clients’ mental health and prevent or postpone relapse following successful TMR or psychotherapy treatment.

PlatoWork for Healthcare Professionals

Depression patients can be treated with various clinically effective therapies such as pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and transcranial magnetic stimulation TMS - as noted in Lefaucher et al., 2020.

Several effective interventions have been found to significantly improve clinical symptoms and lead to full remission in around 70% of depression patients (with a cumulative remission rate 67%; Rush et al., 2006). However, when treatment is stopped, there is a significant risk of depressive relapse or recurrence for many patients (Craighead & Dunlop, 2014; Judd et al., 2016). In fact, the probability of relapse is very high without Continuation or Maintenance Therapy.

One way to address the issue of depressive relapse is to offer maintenance TMS treatment. This involves scheduling follow-up TMS sessions at longer intervals or regular booster TMS sessions to prevent relapse (Rachid, 2018). However, there is currently no consensus on an effective TMS maintenance protocol, and this approach requires patients to regularly travel to the clinic for brain stimulation. This can be challenging, undesirable and unsustainable for many patients.

How can PlatoWork TES complement TMS maintenance therapy?

TES is a noninvasive form of transcranial brain stimulation that is considered a clinical alternative to TMS. Instead of magnetic pulses, TES uses a low-intensity electric current to stimulate the brain with a portable device that is easy to use. TES has been shown to be very safe and well-tolerated with no notable adverse effects.

Compared to TMS, TES is simpler to use, fully operational from a smartphone, and can be easily operated by the patient themselves in their home environment. 

PlatoScience believes that the best solution to address the problem of maintenance in depression therapy is through the use of at-home TES, integrated with a remote cloud-based digital monitoring system optimised for data security. The system is designed to assist therapists rather than replace them.

PlatoScience has created a user-friendly headset that applies clinically effective TES protocols. It can be easily operated through a smartphone app and allows clients and clinicians to monitor treatment compliance and efficacy. The PlatoWork headset is registered as a medical device Class I under the EU MDD.

 
Learn more about the PlatoWork tDCS headset

 

If you have any questions, please reach out:

Morten G Joensson

Morten Gørtz Jønsson
Research Manager
Alexander T. Sack

Prof. Alexander Sack, PhD
Scientific Advisor

 

References

  • Craighead, W. E., & Dunlop, B. W. (2014). Combination psychotherapy and antidepressant medication treatment for depression: for whom, when, and how. Annual review of psychology, 65, 267-300.
  • Fregni, F., El-Hagrassy, M. M., Pacheco-Barrios, K., Carvalho, S., Leite, J., Simis, M., ... & Brunoni, A. R. (2021). Evidence-based guidelines and secondary meta-analysis for the use of transcranial direct current stimulation in neurological and psychiatric disorders. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 24(4), 256-313.
  • Judd, L. L., Schettler, P. J., Rush, A. J., Coryell, W. H., Fiedorowicz, J. G., & Solomon, D. A. (2016). A new empirical definition of major depressive episode recovery and its positive impact on future course of illness. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 77(8), 11346.
  • Lefaucheur, J. P., Antal, A., Ayache, S. S., Benninger, D. H., Brunelin, J., Cogiamanian, F., ... & Paulus, W. (2017). Evidence-based guidelines on the therapeutic use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Clinical Neurophysiology, 128(1), 56-92.
  • Lefaucheur, J. P., Aleman, A., Baeken, C., Benninger, D. H., Brunelin, J., Di Lazzaro, V., ... & Ziemann, U. (2020). Evidence-based guidelines on the therapeutic use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS): an update (2014–2018). Clinical neurophysiology, 131(2), 474-528.
  • Rachid, F. (2018). Maintenance repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for relapse prevention in with depression: A review. Psychiatry Research, 262, 363-372.
  • Rush, A. J., Trivedi, M. H., Wisniewski, S. R., Nierenberg, A. A., Stewart, J. W., Warden, D., ... & Fava, M. (2006). Acute and longer-term outcomes in depressed outpatients requiring one or several treatment steps: a STAR* D report. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163(11), 1905-1917.