Paul Briley has received a four-year award from the National Institute for Health and Social Care (NIHR) to explore ways of improving response to neuromodulation treatment for depression and increasing treatment accessibility.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a type of neuromodulation (non-invasive brain stimulation) treatment. It uses magnetic pulses to re-balance brain activity. TMS is performed whilst a person is awake and alert, they can chat to the TMS practitioner and go home straight after.

TMS is one of the most effective treatments for depression. However, not everyone benefits, and for some long treatment courses, and need to attend clinic every day, make the treatment inaccessible. This has also contributed to poor availability of treatment on the NHS.

Over the next four years, the EnhanceTMS project will explore ways to boost response to TMS and improve treatment accessibility.

Phase 1 includes work with people who have experienced depression, particularly those from groups currently underrepresented in research and underserved by mental health services, to understand how treatments can be delivered in a more accessible way. It includes work with clinicians and industry to understand the feasibility of different approaches for use within the UK NHS in the near term.

Phase 2 will run a co-produced feasibility study (a small-scale clinical trial) of one or two approaches to enhance response to TMS and increase treatment accessibility. It will develop understanding of ways to improve study design in a future full-scale trial to support people from underserved groups to participate.

EnhanceTMS: Applying responsible innovation to develop next generation neuromodulation therapies for depression (NIHR503756)