Posted by Larry Hoover on January 5, 2004, at 10:04:11
In reply to MRIs as treatment for bipolar disorder?, posted by nicky847 on January 5, 2004, at 9:52:56
> I read a fascinating article in the 1/2/04 edition of the Wall Street Journal regarding favorable results from tests done in using MRIs to treat bipolar disorder. In test subjects those that received MRIs reported improvement at a rate twice that of those that received placebo. The article said this could be a breakthrough and that in a few years doctors could be able to use this as a fast acting treatment for depression and bipolar disorder..the article even said that a machine could be developed that allows patients to perform the procedure in their home!
>
> Did anyone else read this article? I find this very exciting!I read an article, probably a wire service thing that gets used as filler on the science pages.....maybe the same article.
It was a serendipitous finding (i.e. they were looking for something else), but subjects who had an unusual form of MRI applied to them reported immediate improvement in how they felt. There's a lot to be learned about just what sort of field is required for the outcome, how long it lasts, etc....but, the good news is that a home treatment device (if it is developed), requires only the MR of MRI.
Magnetic resonance is responsible for the observed effect. It is the imaging part that makes MRI equipment so expensive and bulky.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:296646
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040105/msgs/296648.html