Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive technique used to apply brief magnetic pulses to the brain. The pulses are administered by passing high currents through an electromagnetic coil placed adjacent to a patient's scalp. The pulses induce an electric field in the underlying brain tissue. When the induced field is above a certain threshold, and is directed in an appropriate orientation relative the brain's neuronal pathways, localized axonal depolarizations are produced, thus activating the neurons in the relevant brain structure.

Standard TMS coils are limited to activation of only cortical brain regions, up to a depth of about 1.5 cm. Hence when treating depression with a standard TMS system, the limbic system, which is related to mood regulation and is generally deeper than 1.5 cm, is only indirectly affected, through secondary processes involving cortical structures, which are directly activated by TMS and then affect the deeper limbic system structures.

The unique technology of Brainsway Deep TMS System enables direct non-invasive activation of deep brain structures.

Deep TMS is a breakthrough in the search for a non-invasive approach for treating common brain disorders. Deep TMS uses a unique, patented coil design to produce directed electromagnetic fields that can induce excitation or inhibition of neurons deep inside the brain. The treatment is non-invasive, with no significant side effects, no systemic effect (in contrast to drugs), and no need of hospitalization or anesthesia.

"The magnetic coil, which is placed on specific areas of the patient’s scalp, sends strong directed magnetic pulses through the brain to stimulate the Nucleus Accumbens (the part of the brain responsible for positive stimuli) and the neurons connected to it. “By repeated artificial stimulation of electrical activity created by the coil, we boost the sensitivity of these circuits so they will work more efficiently,� says Dr. Hilik Lewkovitch, at Brainsway."

"The result is that the next time natural stimulation occurs, such as something pleasant that the brain responds to, the patient will respond more strongly, enjoy it more, and seek to repeat the experience. By intensifying sensitivity this causes the patient to respond normally to the environment."

The prospect of manipulating our minds with machines has for decades been considered a cybernetic fantasy belonging to the realm of literature and cinema, now, after “softening up� by advances in science and science fiction, far fewer people find the notion of neuro-enhancement troublesome. Its potential clients are not just the radicals who long for a post-human future, but ordinary people who grew up in the information age. Join us as MINDWARE aims to chronicle the first steps of an experiment set out to provide genuine human benefit for the millions currently suffering from severe mental disorders such as depression.

HOD HASHARON, Israel (Reuters) - Scientists in Israel are reaching deeper into the minds of the clinically depressed to try to lift their spirits.

Using a locally developed upgrade to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapy, they can now send electronic currents induced by alternating magnetic fields up to 8 cm (3 inches) into the brain to stimulate parts that had been out of reach.

The improved technology was developed in 2002 by Israeli scientists, led by Abraham Zangen at the Weizmann Institute of Science, and described that same year in an article published in the Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology.

awesome! it still stimulates the cortex though. useful tool nonetheless.

The Hesed coils (H-coils) are a novel development in rTMS, designed to achieve effective stimulation of deeper neuronal regions without inducing unbearable fields cortically, thus broadly expanding the potential feasibility of TMS for research and treatment of various neuropsychiatric disorders. Thus, it may theoretically be possible to exploit the temporal characteristics of the neuronal response, in order to improve dramatically the efficacy and focality of the stimulation of deep brain structures, potentially enabling focused stimulation of deep regions with no activation of cortical brain regions.