TMS (MeRT) Therapy For Depression In Valencia & Calabasas, CA

Our Approach to Depression

An FDA-cleared, non-invasive treatment for Depression, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD).

In some cases of depression, medications can help. But some individuals don’t respond as well or have a hard time dealing with the side effects. And some people just don’t like having to take them. At the BrainStim Centers, we offer an entirely different approach to treating depression. It’s non-invasive, drug-free, and lasting. There is hope.

While depression is often initially treated with antidepressants, psychotherapy, or often both, sometimes these treatments don’t work fully on everyone. This is often referred to as Treatment-Resistant Depression or TRD. Additionally, these medications may come with side effects that are not well tolerated.

We have another option for treatment. The team at BrainStim Centers uses highly individualized Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to treat patients who may have tried these methods. By doing this, we offer something that works in a significant number of cases — without drugs, and that is completely non-invasive.

In simple terms, we use a magnetic field to stimulate and balance brain function, guided by very comprehensive diagnostics.

Contact the New Patient Coordinator

Or Fill in the Form Below

Key

Diagnostics and Brain Imaging are the Key.

Our use of sophisticated diagnostic tools includes an EEG diagnostic brain scan that reveals your brain wave function, activity, and performance. We also use a comprehensive cognitive brain assessment from Cambridge Brain Science. In some cases, we also perform an MRI. 

These are then reviewed by our top neurosurgeon, Dr. Mark Liker, for evaluation.

Once these diagnostic tests are completed and evaluated, you will have a one-on-one review with a highly trained clinician to discuss these findings.

While most TMS clinics offer a standardized treatment for everyone, we offer highly customized treatment protocols based on each patient’s unique diagnostics.

Depression can affect people in different ways

Symptoms of Depression

Depression, also called Major Depressive Disorder or Clinical Depression, can have a variety of symptoms and degrees of severity. These can include:

For me, depression was the constant feeling of:

“I want to quit” and retreat to my home, except I would already be home… MeRT helped me shed this feeling in less than 2 weeks. I couldn’t believe I had spent so many years feeling that way.”

– MeRT Patient

A New Approach

MeRT for Treatment of Depression

Here’s what you should know about depression: Patients suffering from depression have specific markers that can we can see in their EEG studies. Basically, this is an imbalance in brainwave activity, known as asymmetry, meaning an imbalance between the left and the right hemispheres of the brain.

Through MeRT treatment, we will work to identify these asymmetries and strengthen healthy brainwave activity to reduce the symptoms of depression.

MeRT stands for Magnetic Resonance Therapy. This treatment is completely non-invasive, painless, and uses no drugs or medications.

MeRT is a highly individualized form of TMS or Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. In essence, we use magnetic fields to gently stimulate specific areas of the brain that are not communicating or connecting as they should, balancing brain function. This is all guided by detailed imaging and diagnostics.

Contact the New Patient Coordinator

Or Fill in the Form Below

Nexstim

Nexstim: Another Option for Depression Treatment

When you’re depressed, specific areas of your brain are underactive. TMS uses magnetic pulses to stimulate the nerves in the brain. As a result, this boosting of nerve activity leads to an increase in neurotransmitters, which can then ease the symptoms of depression.

The team at BrainStim Centers performs TMS therapy using Nexstim SmartFocus® TMS technology. The Nexstim system can pinpoint the underactive areas of the brain using a 3D image created from an MRI.

During your treatment, the Nexstim device administers repetitive magnetic pulses in a way that only affects the targeted area. Since we program your information into the Nexstim, every session consistently treats the same area.

While you’re relaxing in the Nexstim chair, we will place a tracker on your forehead. The tracker engages with the system so the equipment and computer can follow the exact location for delivering the pulses. When we place the device near your head, it will deliver subtle magnetic pulses, which indicate the beginning of your session.

Each session time will vary. The first session typically takes around 60 minutes to load the MRI, conduct the brain navigation, and administer the initial treatment. We will then save this data on the computer, so subsequent visits normally take 30 minutes from start to finish. Typically, there are 36 sessions, and we see the best results with consistent daily attendance at each appointment.

Meet our Medical Director

World-renowned Neurosurgeon Mark Liker, MD, FAANS, FACS, is the founder and CEO of BrainStim Centers, Inc., with clinics located in Calabasas and Valencia, California. “Our mission is to provide a professional & honest approach to health care”

Dr. Liker expects the highest standard of care and equipment not only in his private practice but in his TMS and MeRT Clinics as well.

As a neurosurgeon, I recognize that the accuracy of my equipment means the difference between an effective and ineffective treatment. Our patients rely on this as well. Many have relied on either medication or therapy. However, MeRT, or Magnetic e-Resonance Therapy, offers an innovative, non-invasive option to target critical brain pathways associated with a variety of diseases.”

World-renowned Neurosurgeon Mark Liker, MD, FAANS, FACS, and founder of BrainStim Centers

See how TMS addresses Depression.

Watch this short, but informative video on how MeRT can help the brain with depression.

“Everyone experiences their world a little bit differently.”

“EEGs (electrical pictures of the brain) can tell us when there are abnormalities in neural networks. … And we run that data through a normative database, and we can see, for example, if somebody has an area in the left prefrontal cortex that’s cycling at two Hertz — which means that they may be only processing information two times per second — whereas the rest of their brain may be cycling 11 times per second. That information mismatch may manifest for somebody who has depression. They may lack motivation, feel lethargic, not want to get out of bed.

“And it’s not a one-to-one correlation. Everyone experiences their world a little bit differently.

“We can look at these signals and find areas that are abnormal, [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

How do you know…

Is MeRT the Right Treatment?

Every patient is valued and respected in a culture of inclusion. We support you in times of need and celebrate every step in your mental health recovery. We provide TMS therapy in Valencia, CA, Calabasas, CA and Cancun Mexico.

Initial Testing and Analysis

Then, if you are interested in taking the next step, we can set up an appointment for an EEG (a simple, non-invasive brain scan) and a second appointment for a consultation with our clinician.

Once the EEG and other testing have been done and before your consultation, neurosurgeon Dr. Mark Liker, our Medical Director, will thoroughly review your test results and determine if you may benefit from MeRT and the exact treatment plan for the best possible results.

Once we have analyzed the test results, you will have a one-on-one consultation with our clinician to discuss the results and details of the treatment plan. You can either attend this appointment in person or, if you wish, you can attend virtually.

During this time, you will discuss your symptoms and the treatment protocols with you. You can also ask further questions so that together, you can determine if you are a candidate for treatment.

Assessment Period

If you and the clinician both determine that MeRT may be the right treatment, the next step is an Assessment Period. This entails a short period of treatment, followed by a new EEG, to see if you are responding to the treatment.

We assess this based on the new EEG results, as well as symptom improvements. If there is a positive response to treatment during the assessment period, you will have likely noticed some improvements. At that point, we can schedule the rest of the treatment.

So, as you can see, there are many steps involved in ensuring that you receive the treatment that will benefit you.

You may also be interested in the many RESEARCH STUDIES that have been done.

Interested but not sure?

Talk with our New Patient Coordinator

Our New Patient Coordinator is here for you, and we understand what you may be going through. To that end, we want to help, and it costs nothing to call us and talk about what is happening.

During your call, the New Patient Coordinator will listen to you and answer your questions. She will also explain our process and protocols, as well as costs, possible insurance benefits, and any other details you want to know.

There are no obligations, and she will take all the time you need in order to determine whether you should take the next steps.

Contact the New Patient Coordinator

Or Fill in the Form Below

In addition to treatment with TMS or MeRT, the information in this video can also greatly help in addressing Depression and Anxiety.

More Helpful Information about Depression

Contact Us

For more information or to speak with our Patient Coordinator, please fill in the information below.

*” indicates required fields