University of Southern Queensland, Belmont Private Hospital collaborate to enhance rTMS therapy for treating depression using AI

The University of Southern Queensland and Belmont Private Hospital, one of the largest private hospitals in Australia, have partnered to develop an AI model that will enhance repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation therapy for treating depression.

WHY IT MATTERS

rTMS is a non-invasive brain stimulation procedure for treating depression and other mental health disorders. It uses magnetic fields to repeatedly stimulate nerve cells in the brain to improve depression symptoms.

Based on USQ’s press statement, a standard course of rTMS involves 20 sessions that last 20-40 minutes each. The procedure, according to Raj Gururajan, professor of Information Systems at USQ, is “very time consuming, therefore expensive”.

Led by Prof Gururajan, the development of AI algorithms can potentially save patients and the health systems’ time and money, while improving outcomes. It does this by informing treatment decisions through recognising patterns of data collected in past treatments.

THE LARGER TREND

In May, Australia’s universal health insurance scheme Medicare said it will add four rTMS therapy services to its Benefits Scheme starting 1 November. It will subsidise the costs of those services for eligible patients diagnosed with medication-resistant major depressive disorder.

ON THE RECORD

“rTMS is quickly becoming a leading medical treatment for depression, but given it is a relatively new procedure, there are still ways we can improve its diagnosis, treatment and outcome prediction. Our aim is to develop cutting-edge algorithms that will inform psychiatrists on the most appropriate duration of stimulation for an individual patient at the outset of the treatment,” Prof Gururajan said.