A Helmet For Happiness
A Helmet For Happiness: NeuroStar TMS Depression Therapy System First To Be Given FDA Approval
An electromagnetic headpiece could help the millions of depression sufferers for whom antidepressants fail. The nonsurgical NeuroStar Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation system is as easy as a teeth cleaning. The patient sits in a chair as an electromagnetic coil pulses magnetic fields to his or her left prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that regulates mood. This stimulates neurons to make more mood-enhancing dopamine. After 30 40-minute daily sessions, half of the patients in a clinical trial experienced significantly reduced symptoms; a third reported complete resolution. Last fall, it became the first TMS therapy to earn FDA approval.
From $6,000 for a four-week treatment; neurostartms.com
