• Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
24/7 Health News
No Result
View All Result
Home Article

Magnet therapy for depression is available on the NHS – here’s how it works

June 6, 2023
in Article
Magnet therapy for depression is available on the NHS – here’s how it works

Magnets to treat depression? It may sound bizarre, but this treatment is now available on the NHS. It’s called transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS.

People who have tried antidepressants but they haven’t worked, may be offered TMS. It involves zapping areas of the brain associated with depression with pulsing magnetic fields.

Treatment usually involves daily half-hour sessions five days a week for two to six weeks.

TMS is not just used to treat depression, it has been used as a diagnostic tool for multiple sclerosis and motor neuron disease. And its effectiveness in treating mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety, has been under investigation for more than 30 years.

It works by sending a magnetic pulse into the brain through a device placed on the skull.

Developing the right device

So-called “refractory depression” – depression that does not respond to antidepressants or talk therapy – can be effectively treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). But ECT is fairly invasive, sending bolts of electricity through the skull and into the brain. With TMS, an electrical change in the brain happens because of the magnetic field happening outside of the skull. This is called electromagnetic induction and was discovered by Michael Faraday in 1831.

Photo of Michael Faraday
Michael Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction.
Wellcome Collection/Wikimedia, CC BY

Over the next century, scientists and doctors such as Jacques-Arsèn d’Arsonval and Sylvanus P. Thompson created devices that sought to artificially stimulate the nervous system, the former for an early defibrillator device and the latter to stimulate the brain. But they were so bulky and the amount of power needed to produce the rapidly changing magnetic field that was required made their development difficult.

It wasn’t until 1985 and the work of medical physicist Anthony Barker at Sheffield University that led to the creation of a compact, relatively inexpensive device that allowed scientists to stimulate 1cm³ area of the brain at time intervals of their choosing for fractions of a second. It is safe and is applied while the patient is awake.

The technique is used to treat depression and anxiety in two specific ways. Sending repetitive pulses into the brain at different frequencies can have different effects.

In depression, we know that activity is low in the left prefrontal cortex – the area of the brain that is important in planning and thought processes. So using a higher frequency pulse switches on those neurons to help them work as they should, thus alleviating the depression symptoms.

In contrast, the prefrontal area on the right side of the brain, which is known to be overactive in cases of anxiety, is treated with lower frequencies to calm the activity in that area.

Using this effect of changing how neurons talk to each other (called neuroplasticity), it is hoped that with regular treatment, symptoms will be alleviated.

The treatment is administered as the patient sits in an armchair and feels something akin to a light tapping on the skull.

Safe, but long-term results are needed

A review of TMS for treating depression found mixed evidence and called for longer-term studies. But it is clear that there is benefit for people with refractory depression, and it is safe in older adults and pregnant people.

TMS is safe to administer to those who do not have metal, such as aneurysm coils, metal dental appliances or non-removable piercings in their head or metal-containing pigments on their faces. But it is not advised for people who have epilepsy.

The treatment has several advantages over ECT. With TMS, the patient does not need to be anaesthetised; they do not experience a seizure, and they do not have memory loss after the treatment.

Using TMS in more clinics will provide scientists with more data to determine when it works and for whom, and what protocols are optimal. For example, TMS may have greater and longer-lasting benefits when paired with cognitive behavioural therapy (a type of talk therapy) – as has been shown with antidepressants combined with CBT.

But it is certainly a technique – forged in the fire of cognitive neuroscience – that can have a great effect on those desperate for help.

The Conversation

Amanda Ellison does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

ShareTweetSharePin
Next Post
The ugly side of beauty: Chemicals in cosmetics threaten college-age women’s reproductive health

The ugly side of beauty: Chemicals in cosmetics threaten college-age women's reproductive health

Most Read

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

December 15, 2022
morning back pain

Morning Again Ache Trigger Is Not the Mattress

October 11, 2021

4 steps to building a healthier relationship with your phone

January 28, 2025

Why Circadian Rhythms Matter for Your Health

July 30, 2024
lower back pain relief exercises

5 decrease again ache aid workouts

October 11, 2021
Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

December 14, 2022
bleeding in gum

When The Bleeding in gum Is Severe ?

October 11, 2021
Good Night Sleep

6 Causes of Good Evening Sleep

October 11, 2021
3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

October 15, 2021
Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

January 3, 2023
Biden is getting prostate cancer treatment, but that’s not the best choice for all men − a cancer researcher describes how she helped her father decide

Biden is getting prostate cancer treatment, but that’s not the best choice for all men − a cancer researcher describes how she helped her father decide

May 20, 2025
Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

October 12, 2021

COVID vaccines: how one can pace up rollout in poorer international locations

October 5, 2021

Maximize Your Performance – Sync with Your Circadian Rhythms

August 9, 2024
Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

December 30, 2022

This Simple Hygiene Habit Could Cut Your Risk of Stroke, New Research Reveals

February 1, 2025

Multiple sclerosis: the link with earlier infection just got stronger – new study

October 12, 2021
Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

December 16, 2021
Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

December 1, 2021
woman covered with white blanket

Exploring the Impact of Sleep Patterns on Mental Health

August 4, 2024
Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

December 2, 2022
News of war can impact your mental health — here’s how to cope

Binge-eating disorder is more common than many realise, yet it’s rarely discussed – here’s what you need to know

December 2, 2022
FDA limits access to COVID-19 vaccine to older adults and other high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules

FDA limits access to COVID-19 vaccine to older adults and other high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules

May 21, 2025
As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

December 14, 2022
GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

December 16, 2022
Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

December 22, 2022
Nutrition advice is rife with misinformation − a medical education specialist explains how to tell valid health information from pseudoscience

Nutrition advice is rife with misinformation − a medical education specialist explains how to tell valid health information from pseudoscience

January 28, 2025
How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

July 6, 2022
How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

October 24, 2021
The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

January 4, 2022
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS

  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS