Deep TMS

The prospect of manipulating our minds with machines has for decades been considered a cybernetic fantasy belonging to the realm of literature and cinema, now, after “softening up” by advances in science and science fiction, far fewer people find the notion of neuro-enhancement troublesome. Its potential clients are not just the radicals who long for a post-human future, but ordinary people who grew up in the information age. Join us as MINDWARE aims to chronicle the first steps of an experiment set out to provide genuine human benefit for the millions currently suffering from severe mental disorders such as depression.

As our characters undergo the treatment, the film will as well lay out the cultural aspects this experiment holds: The longing for an age when human beings will leave the miseries and limits of the body behind, and achieve new ecstasies of freedom and control has been expressed in many artworks, literature, and cinema.

MINDWARE will produce two “visionary” scenes in which we’ll include an interview with a eading futurist and an illustration imagery that will cinematically support his visions. We'll present one utopian and one dystopian visions. These future prospects will add an in depth cultural layer to the film and will situate this experiment somewhere between the fantastic and the real therapeutic value of assisting people who suffer from depression.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive technique used to apply brief magnetic pulses to the brain. The pulses are administered by passing high currents through an electromagnetic coil placed adjacent to a patient's scalp. The pulses induce an electric field in the underlying brain tissue. When the induced field is above a certain threshold, and is directed in an appropriate orientation relative the brain's neuronal pathways, localized axonal depolarizations are produced, thus activating the neurons in the relevant brain structure.

Standard TMS coils are limited to activation of only cortical brain regions, up to a depth of about 1.5 cm. Hence when treating depression with a standard TMS system, the limbic system, which is related to mood regulation and is generally deeper than 1.5 cm, is only indirectly affected, through secondary processes involving cortical structures, which are directly activated by TMS and then affect the deeper limbic system structures.

The unique technology of Brainsway Deep TMS System enables direct non-invasive activation of deep brain structures.

Deep TMS is a breakthrough in the search for a non-invasive approach for treating common brain disorders. Deep TMS uses a unique, patented coil design to produce directed electromagnetic fields that can induce excitation or inhibition of neurons deep inside the brain. The treatment is non-invasive, with no significant side effects, no systemic effect (in contrast to drugs), and no need of hospitalization or anesthesia.