Release time ：2022-06-17
Source：support@yingchitech.com
Scan：1138
TMS is a non-invasive neuromodulation technology. The time-varying pulsed magnetic field can penetrate the skull non-invasively, act on the central nervous system, generate induced currents, and cause a series of physiological and biochemical reactions, thereby affecting metabolism and neuronal excitability in the brain so that improve and treat mental and neurological diseases.
When conducting scientific research, in order to ensure the effectiveness of true stimulation, we should reduce the influence of other factors on the results as much as possible. This is an important control method to explore the effect of true stimulation, and it is also one of the main analysis methods of scientific research.
Sham stimulation, that is, fake stimulation, requires other factors to be kept constant, the only variable is whether the patient receives the real stimulation or not.
Therefore, theoretically, the sham stimulation should be the same as the real stimulus except that the real magnetic field received by the target is different. For the stimulation coil, it should be the same in appearance, sound, and usage.
In clinical and scientific research, TMS sham stimulation test is an important means to verify the true stimulation effect of TMS. However, a "placebo effect" may occur in subjects due to the "clicking" sound produced by real TMS stimulation and the sensory side effects experienced by the subjects.
When subjects receive sham stimulation without knowing in advance, due to the limitations of the commonly used TMS pseudo-stimulation methods, such as reducing the stimulation intensity, using the reverse side of the coil to stimulate, and placing the coil perpendicular to the scalp for stimulation, subjects can easily find the differences between real stimulation and sham stimulation, and doubt the authenticity of stimulation. Therefore, it is difficult to achieve a real double-blind experiment for both the operator and the subject.
In addition, during the test, except for ensuring the same conditions such as coil position, appearance and output sound, it is also necessary to satisfy that both the subject and the operator are unaware of the stimulation mode, that is, the feelings of the subjects are same whether they are in real stimulation group or in sham stimulation group in order not to let the subjects identify which group they are in.
Yingchi TMS sham stimulation system (IFM of M Series) reduces the interference of traditional "placebo effect" on the accuracy of results, optimizes the overall solution of TMS sham stimulation experiment, and keeps TMS sham stimulation and real stimulation almost the same in experimental operation and sensory effects. It realizes a real randomized, double-blind, multi-center research, which can meet the requirements for the accuracy, reliability and consistency of results in clinical and scientific research. It can also be used combined with a 3D navigation system to further improve the reproducibility of the study.
The IFM module can intelligently switch the real and sham stimulation output according to the coded information in the IFM stimulation card recognized by the IFM card reader.
There is no need to adjust the position of the coil or change the type of the coil, and the sound, intensity, rhythm, and vibration of the sham stimulation are the same as the real stimulation. Real and sham stimulation can be realized on the same side of the coil, ensuring that the operator and the subject are unaware of the stimulation mode.
There is no difference in the appearance of the real stimulation card and the sham one. The experiment designer entrusts the operator to randomly assign the card, and the subjects and the operator are unaware of the card type, so as to achieve the purpose of random assignment.
After the experiment, the IFM data analysis software can be used to quickly organize and analyze the data, and it can be used in conjunction with the YINGCHI TMS stimulation recording system.
