UCLA Health Identifies IT Neurons as TMS Pathway for 5-Day Depression Relief
Updated
Updated · UCLA Health · Aug 21
UCLA Health Identifies IT Neurons as TMS Pathway for 5-Day Depression Relief
1 articles · Updated · UCLA Health · Aug 21
Summary
Cell-published UCLA Health research built a mouse model of accelerated TMS and found intratelencephalic, or IT, neurons are required for the treatment’s antidepressant effects.
In chronically stressed mice, a 1-day aiTBS protocol restored lost dendritic spines in the prefrontal cortex and boosted activity in IT neurons, while pyramidal tract neurons were largely unaffected.
Blocking IT neurons during stimulation erased the behavioral benefits, but blocking PT neurons did not, pointing to a specific circuit behind TMS-driven therapeutic plasticity.
The findings could help refine FDA-approved TMS—first cleared for major depressive disorder in 2008—into faster, more precise protocols, including the 5-day aiTBS approach now gaining traction.
UCLA researchers next plan to test how other cell types and molecular pathways respond to different stimulation patterns, with an eye toward customized brain-stimulation treatments and possible drug combinations.