Researched
Magnetic brain stimulation
Anthony Barker's 1985 device used a magnetic pulse to make the motor cortex fire through the skull, painlessly; it is now a treatment for depression.
Open in the interactive tree →Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation gained US approval for depression in 2008. Combined with EEG, a pulse lets researchers measure how complex a brain's response is, an approach used to test for consciousness in unresponsive patients.
Prerequisites
- Electromagnetism1831-1865
- How nerve cells fire1952
Unlocks
- Consciousness test2040s?A magnetic pulse plus EEG is the leading method for measuring consciousness without speech