Frequently Asked Questions

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TMS stands for Transcranial magnetic Stimulation. It is a non-invasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain to improve symptoms of depression and other mental health conditions (Simons).

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) has been shown to be an effective treatment option for individuals struggling with depression and other mental health conditions, especially when traditional treatments like medication or therapy haven’t brought relief. Many patients experience significant improvement in their symptoms, and some achieve full remission. While results can vary from person to person, TMS is backed by clinical research and is FDA-cleared for treatment-resistant depression and other conditions. At Texas 360 TMS, we tailor each treatment plan to your unique needs to help you achieve the best possible outcome.

A TMS machine uses electromagnetic induction to stimulate specific brain regions. Here's how it works:

1. The machine contains a large capacitor charged to about 2,000 volts that releases pulses of strong electrical current (around 7,000 amps) through a figure-8 shaped coil placed against your scalp.

2. When this current flows through the coil, it generates a powerful but brief magnetic field (about 2 Tesla - similar strength to an MRI machine) that passes painlessly through your skull.

3. This time-varying magnetic field induces a much smaller electrical field in the brain tissue beneath (about 1 volt per centimeter). When this electrical field reaches a certain threshold, it causes neurons in that specific brain region to fire.

4. Modern TMS machines use a figure-8 coil design that creates a more focused stimulation point where the two circles meet, allowing for precise targeting of specific brain regions.

The magnetic field can reach about 2-3 centimeters deep into the brain, making it possible to stimulate areas involved in mood regulation. The machine delivers these pulses in specific patterns during each treatment session to help normalize brain activity in depression.

Think of it like a highly targeted magnetic pulse that temporarily activates specific brain circuits - similar to how a conductor uses a baton to direct specific sections of an orchestra.

TMS therapy is very safe. The safety of TMS continues to be supported by meta-analyses of the published literature, and is an FDA-approved treatment for depression. It has been used for thousands of patients with minimal side effects.

Texas 360 TMS is currently offering TMS treatment on a discounted private-pay basis.

We are proud to serve the Lakeway community with personalized, high-quality care—our patients will benefit from exclusive advantages of private-pay treatment.

Each TMS session is discounted at $150. We recommend that clients complete a full round of TMS treatment, which is 36 sessions, although it is not a requirement. An optimal round of treatment consists of 30 sessions completed at the rate of 3-5 sessions per week, followed by 6 sessions completed at the rate of 2 sessions per week. Private pay clients will be assisted in optimizing their cost to treatment benefit by assessing their progress with TMS after two weeks of treatment, which is a primary indicator of overall response after 36 sessions.

Offering TMS on a private pay basis offers many benefits, especially if you are looking to treat depression without previous pharmacological or talk therapy interventions, which are required for insurance coverage. Further, many insurance companies only cover TMS if the person seeking is suffering from severe depression--even though those with mild and moderate cases of depression can benefit greatly from TMS as well. Thus, paying privately is also a great option for those suffering from depression anywhere on the scale.

Paying privately for TMS is a great option for those who have mental health conditions such as anxiety, postpartum depression, migraines, tinnitus, ADHD, chronic pain, post-stroke recovery, minor cognitive impairment, and PTSD. TMS has shown clinical efficacy for treating these conditions, but treating these conditions with TMS is not yet covered by insurance. For these people, private paying for TMS is the best option.

Further, private paying for TMS ensures that your treatment is entirely off-record from your insurance provider—ideal for professionals and families who value discretion. Because optimal treatment care is our specialty, we can ensure that our clients experience shorter wait times and more individualized care. Private-pay rates also ensure that our clients do not deal with the hold-up that insurance prior authorization can cause. Our team is here to walk with you every step of the way--efficiently, effectively, and with ease!

TMS is FDA approved to treat Major Depressive Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and smoking cessation. There are many protocols that show strong efficacy and safety for treatment of Anxiety, PTSD, migraines, tinnitus, ADHD, chronic pain, post-stroke recovery and minor cognitive impairment. Lastly, TMS is currently being studied for its application to Parkinson's Disease, Dementia, and Bipolar Disorders I and II. The utilization of TMS is growing rapidly at this time, with new clinical trials being published every month.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) works through several key mechanisms to treat depression:

At the brain circuit level, TMS delivers focused magnetic pulses to activate specific networks involved in mood regulation. The most common target is an area called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which shows reduced activity in many people with depression. TMS helps normalize communication between this region and deeper brain areas like the anterior cingulate cortex that process emotions and motivation.

At the cellular level, repeated TMS sessions promote beneficial changes in how brain cells connect and communicate. This process, called neuroplasticity, involves strengthening some connections while weakening others. TMS also affects important brain chemicals like dopamine that influence mood. These changes help shift brain activity patterns away from depression and toward healthy emotional processing.

Unlike medications that affect the entire brain, TMS can precisely target specific circuits involved in depression. The effects build up gradually over multiple sessions and can long after treatment ends. This is because TMS creates lasting changes in how brain cells are wired together, rather than just temporarily altering brain chemistry.

Recent research shows TMS may also work by helping the brain escape from "stuck" patterns of activity associated with depression. By modulating key brain networks over several weeks of treatment, TMS allows a gradual return to more flexible and healthy brain function.

The following is a general list of contraindications for TMS, although it is up to the physician to evaluate each person's situation novelly in order to determine if TMS is right for them.

Metal Implants

The only absolute contraindication to TMS is the presence of metal implants in a person’s head, neck, or scalp. More specifically, there should be no ferromagnetic metals within a 30 cm radius of the treatment coil. Implants made of titanium are considered safe for TMS so long as they are not implanted directly on the treatment target (usually the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), or on the motor cortex spot C3, which is utilized during the Cortical Mapping. The magnetic field generated by the TMS pulse attracts ferromagnetic objects and repels non-ferromagnetic conducting objects, so there is potential for displacement or elevating the temperature of these materials if they are within 30 cm of the magnetic coil. However, a person with silver amalgam dental work (fillers, braces, retainers) is not disqualified from TMS. Moreover, because the most common metal used for implants is titanium, it is more common than not that patients with implants are still in the clear.

Seizure Disorders and Related

The risk of rTMS-induced seizures is extremely low. Even in groups of patients who are taking CNS-related medications, as long as traditional stimulation parameters and appropriate coils are used during treatment, the likelihood of epilepsy is minimal. However, for patients with: 1) a personal history of epilepsy (one or several seizures in the past in untreated patients), or patients who have received treatment; 2) cerebrovascular, traumatic, neoplastic, infectious, or metabolic lesions, even if no history of epilepsy and no use of anticonvulsants; 3) taking drugs that may lower the seizure threshold, but not taking anticonvulsants that may prevent seizures at the same time; 4) people with sleep deprivation and alcoholism need to consider the possibility of increased risk of seizure.