Magnet Brain
In transcranial magnetic stimulation (”TMS”), a coil of wire is placed near the head. Alternating current flowing through the coil induces a magnetic field with a strength of up to 2.5 teslas (one tesla is 20,000 times the strength of the earth’s magnetic field). The field passes harmlessly through the skull and influences the electrical signals passing among neurons in the brain.
Physicians hold the coil close to whichever brain region they are interested in stimulating. In repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), the current is switched on and off from one to 100 times a minute, which creates a series of magnetic impulses. A low frequency will block neural activity, yet higher frequencies will stimulate it. The latter appears to alleviate depression.
Subjects sometimes describe as a slight pull on the scalp. Mild headaches are common side effects. A few patients have had seizures.
Molecular studies by Armand Hausmann suggest that TMS stimulates neuronal factors that are known to aid in cell growth.
When Alvaro Pascual-Leone directed a coil at the language center of his participants, they suddenly could not utter a single word. After 5 half-hour treatment cycles by Peter Eichhammer, some tinnitus sufferers reported a substantial decrease in background noise, which for a few individuals lasted up to 6 months.
Allan Snyder, has studied savants — autistic and other severely handicapped individuals who nonetheless are gifted musicians, mathematical geniuses or outstanding artists. In most savants, the left hemisphere of the brain, considered to be the chief regulator for behavior, is chronically underactive. Snyder has used TMS to temporarily slow the left hemisphere’s activity in test subjects and reports that their thinking became less reason-driven.
Also see: “Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Treating Depression,” “Stimulating the Brain,” & “Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for the Treatment of Depression.”
“A Great Attraction,” by Hubertus Breuer