Word: strokes
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...next few years, we'll have a better idea of whether rTMS is safe and effective for depression," says Dr. Sarah Lisanby, who is leading the study at the institute. There is also growing interest in exploring the use of the technique for the treatment of anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, stroke and perhaps epilepsy...
That may sound a lot like electroconvulsive (or electroshock) therapy, but it's not. "Magnetic stimulation is a clever way to induce current without actually having an electrical connection," says Dr. George Wittenberg, a neurologist at Wake Forest University, who is studying magnetic pulses for their potential to help stroke patients recover more quickly. Unlike electroconvulsive therapy, which affects the whole brain, the magnets are focused only on specific regions at the surface, or cortex. And because the treatment does not trigger a seizure (as electroconvulsive therapy does), there's no need for muscle relaxants or anesthesia and no problem...
...knows how long such a reset might last and whether aiming the magnet at a different part of the brain would work any better. But that hasn't stopped neurologists from trying rTMS on other conditions. For example, specialized MRI scans can pinpoint where stroke damage has occurred and what parts of the brain are trying to take over for the affected regions. Could the right combination of stimulation and inhibition help stroke victims overcome their disabilities...
...Wayne State University in Detroit, Dr. Randall Benson is studying 28 stroke patients to see if he can enhance their impaired speech after existing therapies are no longer effective. First they undergo a brain scan to see which of their language centers are still at least partially active. Then Benson targets those regions with rTMS. "Because things like language are regulated in the brain by a network, when we stimulate in one place, we find activation all over the brain," Benson says...
...prevention as well. A rigorously conducted clinical trial released last week shows that a low dose of aspirin taken regularly, which seems to help middle-aged men avoid heart attacks, does not offer the same cardiovascular benefits for middle-aged women--although it does lessen their risk of stroke...