Clinical Research & Other Affiliations

Current Research Studies

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

At Toowong Specialist Clinic we provide facilities for an independent firm, TMS Australia to provide this exciting new outpatient treatment modality on site.

The TMS Australia clinics were founded in 2016 by psychiatrists Professor Paul Fitzgerald – one of the world’s foremost TMS experts – and Dr Ted Cassidy, who both have extensive experience treating depression using TMS. They were motivated to bring outpatient TMS treatment to the forefront of mental healthcare as a safe and effective treatment for depression as it was internationally.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is a drug-free, safe and effective treatment for depression. It is recommended on the college of Psychiatry guidelines. It is very different from ECT because it doesn’t send electricity to the brain and doesn’t require anaesthesia. Instead it uses targeted magnetic pulses to turn on the positive mood pathways in the brain, which are underactive in depression. It also has very few side effects, so patients don’t need to take time off of work to come in for treatment. Treatment sessions take 60 minutes and patients can drive home or return to work. If antidepressant therapy is not working, patients may be suitable for TMS as it offers a 38% remission rates and a 57% response rate.

Visit the TMS Australia website for more informationwww.tmsaustralia.com.au.

Past Research Studies

  • Deakin Uni, IMPACT: The efficacy of adjunctive Garcinia mangostana linn (mangosteen) pericarp for bipolar depression: A 24-week double-blind, randomised, placebo controlled trial.
  • Servier, CL3-20098-060; Effects of agomelatine versus escitalopram on emotional experiences in outpatients suffering from Major Depressive Disorder. An exploratory, randomized, double-blind, international, multicentre study with parallel groups over a 6 month period. Servier, CL3-20098-089: Efficacy and safety of agomelatine versus escitalopram. A 12-week randomized, double blind, international, multicentre study with a 9 month extension period.
  • Alkermes, ALK5461-205: A Phase 3 Efficacy and Safety Study of ALKS 5461 for the Adjunctive Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (the FORWARD-4 Study).
  • Alkermes, ALK5461-205: A Phase 3 Multicenter Study of the Long-term Safety and Tolerability of ALKS 5461 for the Adjunctive Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder in Adults who Have an Inadequate Response to Antidepressant Therapy (the FORWARD-2 Study).
  • Bionomics, BCN210.007: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase II study of BNC210 in adults with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.