[Magnetic Stimulation Therapy for Mood Disorder].

In Japan, approximately one million patients currently receive medical treatment for mood disorders. However, there are only a few available treatments for patients with treatment-resistant depression or bipolar depression. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a neuromodulation technique, has proven to be effective for treatment-resistant depression, and also has a potential therapeutic efficacy in patients with bipolar depression who do not respond to medication. Magnetic seizure therapy (MST) is an experimental technique for introducing a seizure by using rTMS, which demonstrates a therapeutic efficacy similar to that of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), but with fewer cognitive side effects.