ECT stimulates the entire brain, is done under general anesthesia and causes painful convulsions and memory impairment that can last several months. The treatment is repeated over short time intervals, is painless and has no side effects. During treatment, the magnetic field is transmitted through a coil. The coil is held close to the scalp so the field is focused and the magnetic pulses can pass through the skull. Unlike the electricity used in ECT, which gets diffused by the skull, magnetic pulses pass readily through bone to stimulate the neurons.
Patients remain awake during treatment.
None of the patients complained about impact on memory, concentration or other cognitive abilities. The Technion team is starting a new clinical study that examines the efficacy of rTMS as a long-term treatment and as maintenance therapy, since depression tends to require ongoing treatment.