Feature

Snap, Crackle, and Feel Good?

Magnetic fields that map the brain may also treat its disorders

By John Travis

- More than 2 years ago

A sharp sound, like a snapping rubber band, rings out. “Anything?,” queries the neuroscientist standing behind my seat.

In TMS, an electric current in a coil above the head generates a magnetic field that penetrates the skull. This field, in turn, stimulates an electric current (orange) within a small brain region.