EMR Therapy

Electric brain stimulation gains ground - San Francisco Chronicle

The concept of using electrical stimulation for health purposes dates back thousands of years to the Greeks, whose medical practitioners were said to use electric eels in water to reduce symptoms of arthritis and other types of pain.

Modern usage of electroconvulsive therapy, formerly known as electroshock therapy, has been controversial, dating back to its early use in the 1940s and '50s in psychiatric hospitals. While it has been making a bit of a lower-voltage comeback in patients with severe depression, the method is generally considered a last resort because of the risk of memory loss and other side effects.

Brain stimulation uses magnetic or electrical energy to improve brain function. Here are some of the techniques in use or being studied:

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT): With ECT, an electric current passes briefly through the scalp to the brain, inducing a seizure. It's generally considered only for those with severe depression or other serious mental illnesses who do not respond to other treatments.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS): TMS uses wrapped coil wires to generate electric current throughout the scalp and can induce involuntary movements. Although it has a few potentially serious side effects, including seizures, the treatment received federal approval for patients with severe depression in 2008.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS): Weaker still than TMS, tDCS has not been approved, but researchers are studying its use to help patients with strokes and other brain injuries. It has also been considered for use in healthy subjects, with researchers testing everything from memory enhancement to improved golf swing.