Researchers investigate new revolutionary 5-day therapy for treatment-resistant depression

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- TMS has been around since 2008 to treat depression, but transcranial magnetic stimulation is not widely used.

Now, local researchers are studying an improved version of this technology in people with treatment-resistant depression.

Diana Daniele of Los Angeles, who is spreading the word about TMS, described her long fight to find relief.

"I'm lucky to be alive. The longer you go, the more suicidal you become," she said.

The illness gripped Daniele for four years.

"You're obsessed with how you can do away with yourself and you hate yourself so much with the self-loathing," she said. "All the medications, the antidepressants, the anti-psychotics, anti-anxiety, nothing worked."

Then a friend introduced Daniele to TMS and said it felt like a brain reboot.

"When your brain is normal, the lights are on," Daniele said.

TMS uses magnetic fields to stimulate brain circuits important to mood.

"It seems to change the neurochemistry of the brain, but also the connectivity among the circuits," said Dr. Ian Cook of the Los Angeles TMS Institute.

Cook is a pioneer in this treatment, but said the problem with traditional TMS is that it takes too long.

"Typically, 36 treatments spread over about 9 weeks," he said.

But what if you could achieve even better results in just five days? Cook is studying the Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy or SAINT.

"Basically, it's a return to feeling well again in something north of 70 to 80 percent of people," Cook said.

SAINT uses functional MRI to pinpoint the precise surface points that have the most connectivity to key brain circuits. Side effects include headaches and a small risk for seizure. Cook is enrolling patients 18 and older for an open optimization label trial at his LA TMS Institute.

While they are still factoring in all the costs, the course of treatment - which is 50 treatments in 5 days - is expected to cost in excess of $30,000.

It is also still so new, patients should be prepared to pay out of pocket.

"This is part of the necessary steps for it to be more widely accepted and hopefully, at some point covered by insurance companies," Cook said.

Daniele is now writing a book about her experience with treatment resistant depression and hopes other people won't have to wait years to find relief.

"One of the problems is that people don't know about it to ask for it," she said. "You can't give up. Never give up."

Researchers are also enrolling participants at Brain Health Solultions in Costa Mesa.