Magnetic brain stimulation headset 'to treat depression'

Computer simulations showed that the headpiece - a square array of 64 circular metallic coils - could one day help researchers and doctors hit finer targets in the brain that are twice as deep as they can reach today, and without causing pain.

In transcranial magnetic stimulation, coils create a fluctuating magnetic field that then generates a weak electrical field that can travel through the scalp and skull non-invasively. The electrical signal activates neurons in targeted parts of the brain.

Exactly how the technique alleviates depression isn’t well understood, but it tends to reduce symptoms in roughly half of patients who don’t respond to antidepressants. It’s been an FDA-approved mental illness treatment since 2006, but researchers say the technology is still relatively crude.

According to the university, it can only send signals 2cm into the brain before it causes uncomfortable muscle contractions in a patient’s scalp. It’s not the depth that causes the contractions but the relatively large focal spot required to go in that far.