- Overview
- Directions
- About our treatments
- Contact us and referrals
- The team*
- Accessibility Information
- Professionals*
- Useful resources and links
Type
Centre for NeuromodulationOur services at the centre are all geared to helping service users where standard forms of treatment with mental health problems, such as depression, have failed.
At the centre we offer:
- Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) using magnetic stimulation to target the part of the brain that regulates mood. We also provide rTMS treatments for other mental health conditions such as anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as cocaine addiction.
- Theta burst treatment (TBS) is a form of TMS using high-frequency magnetic stimulation. TBS treatment is also used in depression and anxiety and the treatments are shorter than rTMS
- Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is another treatment for depression that uses small currents of electricity to stimulate the underlying brain
- Ketamine infusion - a low dose of ketamine is slowly administered using a syringe pump over 40 minutes, this helps with low mood but may not last more than a few days
- Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT) a measured electrical current is passed through the brain to reduce symptoms of either depression, mania, or catatonia.
- Be part of research and wearing a Fitbit during treatment – You-Track project
Who is this service for? Adults aged 18 years and over.
Access how: Referral is via your GP or Psychiatrist.
Address
Centre for Neuromodulation , Berrywood Hospital, Berrywood Drive, Upton, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN5 6UDMap
About our treatments
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS)
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is a treatment for adult patients with Clinical Depression. It provides a solution to those for whom antidepressant medications and psychological treatment have failed to provide satisfactory relief.
NICE approves the use of ground-breaking rTMS for the treatment of depression. NICE recommended guidance
Treatment with rTMS:
- An alternative to antidepressants
- Highly effective
- Non-invasive
- Pain free
Berrywood Hospital - is able to offer patients rTMS, a safe and ground-breaking treatment for Clinical Depression. The treatment uses magnetic stimulation to target the part of the brain that regulates mood. It is a very effective treatment that often succeeds when drugs have failed, as a method of reducing or remove the symptoms of Depression. It is a non-invasive and generally side-effect free treatment.
Ketamine infusion therapy
People who have been diagnosed with treatment resistant depression may be right for Ketamine Infusion Therapy. If a patient is not responding to inpatient therapy, medication, or other forms of treatment, ketamine infusion may be considered as the next step.
For more information about Ketamine infusion, please read the information sheet available here: Ketamine Infusion Therapy Sheet v2 072020.pdf[pdf] 203KB
Contact us and referrals
rTMS Clinics - Contact and Referrals
Mon-Fri: 07.00 - 16.00
Centre for Neuromodulation
Berrywood Hospital
Berrywood Drive
Upton
Northampton, NN5 6UD
Telephone: 03000 271 717
Email: centreforneuromodulation@nhft.nhs.uk
Clinicians who want to refer patients for rTMS should first contact the Centre for Neuromodulation using the details above.
Prior to receiving rTMS, patients will be spoken to by the team’s Consultant Psychiatrist who will ask about their psychiatric and medical history.
At the end of this appointment patients will be informed if they are suitable to receive rTMS Therapy. For further information about rTMS or to discuss any aspect of the treatment, please contact the rTMS Treatment Centre.
Enquiry Form rSMS or rTMS.docx [docx] 95KB
rTMS Referral Form updated 2022[pdf] 120KB
rTMS Patient Screening Form.pdf [pdf] 106KB
ECT clinics, Ketamine Infusion clinics
Tues-Fri: Mornings only
Telephone:03000 271 717
Email: TreatmentCentre.Berrywood@nhft.nhs.uk
Referrals for ECT or ketamine therapies must be made by a Consultant Pscyhiatrist only.
The team*
Professor Alexander O'Neill-Kerr
Prof Alexander O'Neill-Kerr is a fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and works at Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust as a General Adult Psychiatrist.
Special interests:
- Bipolar Disorder, runs a specialist clinic for complex Bipolar patients in Daventry.
- Lead consultant for ECT and related physical treatments in Psychiatry such as repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Therapy, Ketamine infusion and Light-box therapy for SAD
Prof O'Neill-Kerr has been the Trust's Medical Director since 2004 and is responsible for research and innovation, medicines management and clinical effectiveness and quality.
Reviews of our services and clinicians can be found via iWantGreatCare.org or by selecting the picture.
Dr Timothy Millward
Dr Millward offers both inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care to the population of Kettering.
His clinics are held at St Mary's Hospital, Kettering and his inpatient care occurs at Berrywood Hospital in Duston.
Reviews of our services and clinicians can be found via iWantGreatCare.org or by selecting the picture.
Louise Gell-Bean - Business Manager
Hello, my name is Louise and I am a mum of two who has worked within NHFT for almost 10 years alongside and with, the Medical Director. I have been involved in the set-up of the rTMS service since 2015 and was very proudly, appointed Business Manager for the Centre for Neuromodulation. I wear a number of ‘hats’ but my main is the ‘Customer Service’ hat, which allows me to engage with our patients and carers on a daily basis. My day to day workload is mainly background work, receiving and processing all referrals into the service from both internal and external sources. With this, I often liaise with other NHS Trusts, CCGs, and private providers along with self-referring patients from out of the area. I am always open to receiving questions about the service so please contact me if you wish to know more.
Abby Lovesy - rTMS Matron
Hello I am Abby; a granddaughter, daughter, sister and mother to 3 beautiful girls not forgetting our doggy little boy. I have worked for NHFT for 24 years starting at the age of 15/16 with an after school canteen job. I qualified at the age of 21 and have practiced for the last 18 years. I have worked in a variety of roles from inpatients to, CPN, nurse specialist in ICT to senior clinical research nurse at Berrywood. Then I joined the Treatment Centre pulling on all my previous roles in this innovative area of practice. I am now the ward matron of Centre for Neuromodulation. I am clinical lead to a fantastic team who are dedicated to changing lives and going the extra mile every day. We are lucky to be part of this exciting treatment.
I have witnessed first-hand, on many occasions, the positive change this treatment can make (it still gives me goosebumps a year on). I see my role continuing to drive this service forward, looking at new ways and conditions we can treat whilst using the best evidence based research and continuing to provide excellent patient care with a commitment to making a difference for you, with you. I will support the team to develop and grow while still maintaining the smooth running of this busy area.
Accessibility Information
For disabled access information at this site, click here.
Professionals*
Between 20-40% of people with depression do not recover following standard treatments such as medication and psychotherapy. Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a treatment used for adult patients with major clinical depression when antidepressants have repeatedly failed to control their symptoms. The American Psychiatric Association (2013) describes major depressive disorder as a medical illness that affects how you feel, think, and behave causing persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and usually requires long-term treatment.
Background
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a form of neuromodulation, a non-invasive, nonconvulsive technique used to stimulate neural tissue. The procedure involves placement of an electromagnetic coil to deliver a short powerful burst of magnetic field (1.5-2 Tesla) through the scalp to induce electric current in the brain. TMS is a new treatment for psychiatric disorders but as been well established in neuroscience research experiments and in clinical application for neurological conditions. it has been used as an investigative tool in neuronal diseases.
Treatment
The stimulation can be delivered either as a single pulse or repetitive pulse, known as Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS). TMS treatment involves repetitive pulses applied in trains of stimulation over a target area over the cortical region of the brain. The response to the treatment is influenced by factors such as stimulus frequency, intensity and duration, and its ability to excite or inhibit particular neuron functions. The strength of the magnetic field for clinical application is similar to that of a standard Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner.
Putative mechanism of action
Like many other antidepressant treatments that are available in clinical practice, the exact mechanism by which rTMS produces relief from depression is still unknown. At a physiological level the effects of rTMS are frequently reported to be similar to long-term potentiation (LTP) or longterm depression (LTD) of stimulated neurons which in turn implicates changes in synaptic plasticity.
Synaptic plasticity is the ability of synapses to strengthen or weaken over time in response to increases or decreases in their activity. LTD and LTP are forms of long-term synaptic plasticity that apply to a long-lasting experience-dependent change in the efficacy of synaptic transmission (i.e. amplitude of synaptic potentials).
They have been studied as they represent cellular correlates of learning and memory. Invoking this mechanism to explain effects of rTMS is over simplistic and needs exploration. Studies indicate that large scale brain networks are changed in patients with depression, and the degree of the change in their connectivity predicts the severity of depression.
Repetitive stimulation of focal nodes of these networks can result in reorganisation of connectivity patterns in the brain due to the brain’s inherent plasticity (use-dependent strengthening of existing pathways). Research suggests that rTMS results in changes in regional brain activity and metabolism, and applying rTMS at the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) can enhance this region’s connectivity with other regions that are crucial for regulating emotional processing.