Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Awakens Coma Patient

Researchers have recently used transcranial magnetic stimulation TMS to awaken a coma victim. TMS has been used by researchers for a variety of brain disorders in the past, altering brain activity by sending a magnetic pulse through a person's skull. The 26 year old man had been in a car accident and had suffered a traumatic head insult. He had been in a coma and had not improved for quite some time. Researchers used TMS to simulate his brain generating an electric current in a targeted brain region. The doctors discovered that the patient aroused after undergoing 15 TMS treatment sessions. The patient began speaking a few choice words and was also able to move his eyes. The TMS was used to activate brain cells in an area of the brain called the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

Apparently the patient had only been give a 20 to 40 percent chance of recovery. After each TMS session he improved by an incremental amount. I think that TMS may be used for people with brain damage in the future. Researchers are now testing deep TMS for stroke patients to improve functioning and I think brain damage should follow. Transcranial direct current stimulation also has the potential to do the same thing.

I think that overall this treatment modality will be fairly limited for the treatment of traumatic brain injuries. While this specific case is interesting, TMS is not magic. It cannot repair brain damage itself. However, it may be able to activate underactive brain regions and restore some functioning in specific patients.

You can read the whole story here.