Over 30 million people are estimated to live with migraine pain and out of that number, about 40 to 50 percent do not respond to conventional medical treatment. However, there's a new future of treatment in sight: transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation has gained a lot of attention recently in its treatment of various psychological and personality disorders, specifically depression. But according to recent studies from Ohio State University Medical Center and the University of California, using transcranial magnetic stimulation to aid in the treatment of migraines, specifically those with aura, has proved to be successful.

In the Ohio State study, 164 patients were treated using magnetics. Nearly 40% of that group reported having no pain two hours after treatment, compared to the 22% in the placebo group. These findings were presented at the annual American Headache Society meeting in Boston in June 2008.

In addition, researchers conducted an animal study at the University of California. One of the main findings of the experiment that magnetic pulses have a biological basis for working for people with migraines. The research was reported to the American Academy of Neurology and more studies could follow as neurologists look for new approaches to treatment.

Posted by Jay Roberts at 06:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to a controversial new study, the flow of seawater across our planet's surface could be the cause of small fluctuations in Earth's magnetic field. Earth's magnetic field extends thousands of miles into space and shields surface life from the solar wind—a potentially harmful stream of charged particles emanating from the sun.

The author of the study, Gregory Ryskin, an associate professor of chemical and biological engineering at Northwestern University in Illinois, says that the current dynamo theory about Earth's magnetic field – which states that the field is generated by a churning molten planet core – could  fall apart as a result.

In the study, published in the New Journal of Physics, Ryskin argues that variations in the magnetic field may be due to circulating seawater. Ocean currents are already known to bring up nutrient-rich cold water from the depths and carry it to different parts of our planet, plus it's also known that dissolved salts in seawater can conduct electricity. With churning currents comes a secondary magnetic field, which Ryskin calculates is nearly the same to measurements of the variations in the planet's variation.

Although this new study hasn't met its criticism. Other geophysicists have dismissed the idea as poor science. We'll have to watch and see what happens in the coming months with more releases due out from Ryskin.

Posted by Jay Roberts at 02:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to a recent article in Psychiatric Times, the latest method for treating psychological disorders could now be used to improve memory. Transcranial magnetic stimulation, which uses magnetic field pulses to produce localized neuronal changes, was found in a recent study to produce improvements in key areas of cognition and in short-term verbal memory in patients with major depressive disorder, with no adverse cognitive effects. The results of this research were presented by Mark Demitrack, MD, vice president and chief medical officer of Neuronetics, Inc, and colleagues at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in May.

In several recent articles, transcranial magnetic stimulation has been explored as an alternative treatment for depression, schizophrenia, and other related forms of psychosis with much attention gathering around it's noninvasive and systematic approach. Rather than having to deal with prescription drugs, surgery, or other treatments to combat hormonal and neurological issues, patients may soon have to potential to harness the power of magnetics to treat their illness to live healthier, more functional lives.

To read more about the study, see the article in the Psychiatric Times.

Posted by Jay Roberts at 02:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to the Boston Globe, scientists are trying a new approach to study and observe autistic brain by using special paddles against patients' head and creating a magnetic field that triggers brain cell activity. Known as transcranial magnetic stimulation, this approach allows for scientists to spark activity in specific areas of the brain and watch what happens to the patients' behavior. The technology may illuminate some of the biology behind the disease, and some specialists speculate it may one day offer a treatment for many neurological disorders.

"There's a lot of mystery about autism - it's not as if there's a well-understood story of what's going on at all, and there's a huge variety of autism, too," said John Gabrieli, a neuroscientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Transcranial magnetic stimulation "is fantastic for identifying brain regions that are essential for specific mental functions. . . . I think if we can start to use it more systematically with autism, one could hope we'd understand a lot more about what's going on."

Learn more about the studies here.

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According to a recent release from NASA, a team of University of Alberta researchers has discovered a new way to track and predict space storms before they impact Earth's atmosphere.

The team's study reveals that magnetic blast waves can be used to pinpoint and predict the location where space storms dissipate their massive amounts of energy. These storms can dump the equivalent of 50 gigawatts of power, or the output of 10 of the world's largest power stations, into Earth's atmosphere.

To track these storms, the team uses ground-based observatories spread across northern Canada and the five satellites of the THEMIS space mission to detect magnetic disturbances as storms crash into the atmosphere. Using a technique the researchers call "space seismology," they look for the eye of the storm hundreds of thousands of miles above Earth. To find the strongest point in the storm, the team uses magnetic sensors at various points both on the ground and in space to learn more about space storms and how they interact with Earth's magnetic field.

To read more about this discovery and what it could mean for the future of tracking space storms, read the press release here.

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