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HOPE: Dr Ian Anderson tests he wand on student Karen Lythe
HOPE: Dr Ian Anderson tests he wand on student Karen Lythe

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Magnetic wand to tackle depression

Rebecca Camber
6/ 7/2004

SCIENTISTS at Manchester University are testing a new way of treating depression - giving the brain an electric wake-up call.

Researchers are to start trials on a machine which sends electromagnetic waves to the brain to ward off the blues.

Depression expert Dr Ian Anderson says that the 10-minute treatment to zap the brain with a harmless electromagnetic current - repeated three times a week for a month - can cure depression for up to six months.

One in six people will experience a major bout of depression in their lifetime and clinical depression is the fourth most common disability in the world.

But anti-depressant drug treatments - the most common treatment available - can take weeks to take effect and don't always work for some patients.

For those who have found both drugs and counselling unsuccessful, Dr Anderson hopes to provide a new answer.

The treatment involves sitting in a chair and having an electromagnetic "wand" waved around the head, sending currents to the brain.

The "brain tickling" technique stimulates the connections in the brain switched off by depression and it also stimulates the part of the brain that deals with mood.

The senior lecturer in psychiatry said: "What we really want to know is what its place in routine treatment could be for people who have not got better on other treatments.

Pulse

"It is based on the fact that if you pass a current through a coil it generates magnetic field switches.

"The current sends a pulse through the brain - it is about the same strength as an MRI scan so it is quite safe.

"When you get depressed, different parts of the brain get depressed and inactive. People find it hard to concentrate and can't sleep.

"This current works by stimulating the brain circuits made inactive by depression.

"This does not have any bad effects, if anything, people's mental powers get better - it seems to wake you up."

A similar treatment called electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) has already been developed for people with severe depression.

But the treatment, which involves giving a patient an anaesthetic and drugs to relax their muscles before giving the brain an electric shock, has proved controversial as it can cause epileptic fits and memory loss.

The electro-magnetic current being used for the new study is not as powerful as ECT and it uses less energy than that needed to illuminate a light-bulb.

Now Dr Anderson is hoping to recruit 30 volunteers for the study based at the Manchester Royal Infirmary.

If you are clinically depressed and previous depression treatments have not worked, contact the team on 0161 275 7432.


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Most recent 1 of 1 user comments

   I suffer from major depression and currently taking mediations. I have problems with my current meds, plus have a long history of trying medication that did work for me. My Psychiatrist said that I would be an excellent candiate for this type of treatment. Please let me know if this treatment is still available and if so, at what locations. Sincerly, Henry A. Finch, Salt Lake City, Utah
Henry A. Finch, Salt Lake City, Utah
9/03/2005 at 23:40

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