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Flow, a medical device company, is launching a medication-free device to treat depression, including a brain-stimulation headset and a therapy application.
Brain stimulation has a similar impact to antidepressants, with fewer less severe side effects, providing patients with an alternative for the treatment of depression. The helmet and therapy application for medical grade brain stimulation is the first such treatment at home in Europe.
Could brain stimulation be a food for the mind?
Controlled trials published in the New England Journal of Medicine and the British Journal of Psychiatry shows that this device is the first treatment of this type approved in Europe, available for sale and use at home.
Flow talks with the NHS to make its brain stimulation headset available on prescription. In 2019, Flow will also work with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to obtain regulatory approval in the United States.
People diagnosed with depression often have lower neuronal activity in the left frontal lobe, the part of the brain controlling important cognitive skills, including emotional expression. The Flow helmet uses transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS), a form of neurostimulation that delivers a constant low voltage direct current through electrodes on the head to stimulate neurons in this area and help rebalance the patient. activity. The brain stimulation delivered in the Flow helmet is technically and clinically equivalent to the devices used in these randomized controlled trials.
Andre Russowsky Brunoni, psychiatrist, associate professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo in Brazil and co-author of the study, said: "By combining tDCS with behavioral therapy, the The Flow team has created a powerful medical treatment. I have seen first-hand the possibilities of this technique to provide a unipolar depression treatment without the many adverse effects associated with pharmacological therapies. "
Treat depression with stimulation
In Europe, the British Standards Institute has classified Flow as a class II medical device for use as a treatment for depression and possibly even for anxiety relief. The treatment usually lasts 30 minutes per session, ie 18 sessions over 6 weeks. Continuation of treatment is then possible for 1-2 sessions per week.
During brain stimulation, users interact with a virtual therapist via an application. Here you will find videos and tips on depression and how to reduce symptoms, using the latest knowledge from experts in sleep, nutrition, fitness and meditation.
Daniel Mansson, co-founder and CEO of Flow, said, "We want to support the improvement of current standards of care for people living with depression by increasing the choice of treatment and giving patients the ability to manage themselves. even their symptoms at home with effective and non-pharmacological means, alternatives. "
About Flow
Based in Sweden, Flow was developed by clinical psychologist Daniel Mansson and neuroscientist Erik Rehn, in collaboration with a team of leading researchers in the field of psychiatry and brain stimulation.
Founded in 2016, the company combines clinical psychology, neuroscience and innovative technologies, including machine learning, and collaborates with experts in the field of mental health to create an interdisciplinary physical and behavioral treatment of depression.
Reference
- Brunoni, A.R., Moffa, A.H., Sampaio-Junior, B., Borrione, L., Moreno, M.L., Fernandes, R.A., Benseñor, I.M. (2017). Electrical Direct Current Therapy Test versus Escitalopram for Depression. New England Journal of Medicine (26), 2523-2533. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1612999
- Brunoni, A.R., Moffa, A.H., Fregni, F., Palm, U., Padberg, F., Blumberger, D.M., … Loo, C.K. (2016). Transcranial direct current stimulation for acute major depressive episodes: meta-analysis of data from individual patients. The British Journal of Psychiatry: The Journal of Mental Science, 208 (6), 522-531. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.115.164715
- Bikson et al., Safety of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: Evidence Update 2016. Brain Stimulation, 9 (2016), 641-661. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2016.06.004
- Julian Mutz, Vijeinika Vipulananthan, Ben Carter, Rene Hurlemann, Cynthia H Y Fu, Allan H Young. (2019). Comparative Effectiveness and Acceptability of Nonsurgical Brain Stimulation for the Acute Treatment of Major Depressive Episodes in Adults: A Systematic Review and Networked Meta-Analysis. BMJ 2019; 364: l1079 http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l1079
- Key facts of the WHO on depression https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression
- NHS England: Mental Health https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/
- Office of National Statistics (2015). Suicides in the UK https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suulletintheunitedkingdom/2015-02-19
- Ministry of Health: No Health Without Mental Health https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/215808/dh_123993.pdf
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