Magnetic Seizure Therapy for the Treatment of Depression
The magnetic approach to seizure therapy is based on the hypothesis that the electrical currents induced in deep brain structures by electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may contribute to the adverse cognitive side effects. This chapter reviews the rationale for magnetic seizure therapy (MST), technical aspects of its delivery, and the body of evidence spanning computational modeling, preclinical animal studies, and human trials. The aim of MST is to retain the unparalleled efficacy of ECT with fewer cognitive side effects via reduced impact on deep brain structures thought to be involved in the cognitive side effects of ECT, such as the hippocampus. The development of MST was an interdisciplinary and translational effort involving device development, nonhuman primate (NHP) studies, and clinical trials. Individualized low amplitude seizure therapy (iLAST) captures both features (low and individualized currents), and generalizes the concept across electrical and magnetic modes of seizure induction.
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