Electroconvulsive therapy, or shock therapy, is the most effective treatment known for severe depression. A strong electrical current applied to the skull triggers epilepticlike seizures that somehow jolt the mind free of melancholy. But shock treatment is a famously blunt instrument. It requires the use of general anesthesia, often causes memory loss and confusion, and can bring on a headache that rivals the worst hangover.
An ideal version of electroconvulsive therapy would dispense with the seizure and the side effects. It would target only those areas of the brain involved in depression. It would be easy to administer, and it wouldn't hurt. In short, the procedure would look a lot like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a kinder, gentler way of jolting the brain that is winning the enthusiasm of clinicians and basic researchers alike. Though still unproven, TMS holds promise as an alternative treatment for a number of psychiatric disorders, as well as epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and even writer's cramp. It's already helping to map the circuitry of the normal brain and reveal faulty wiring.
