Triple tSMS system ("SHIN jiba") for non-invasive deep brain stimulation: a validation study in healthy subjects.
Sumiya Shibata, Tatsunori Watanabe, Takuya Matsumoto and 8 others
PMID 36424652WHAT IT FOUND
A new three-magnet headpiece lowered motor cortex excitability in healthy volunteers just as well as the standard single-magnet device.
Crucially, it maintained strong magnetic fields deep enough to potentially reach brain structures involved in movement and psychiatric disorders.
Key findings
01The triple magnet system significantly reduced motor evoked potential amplitudes in the stimulated hemisphere compared to baseline, whereas the sham condition did not.
02The device generated magnetic field strengths sufficient for neuromodulation up to 80 mm deep, significantly deeper than the 50 mm limit of the standard single magnet.
03Unlike previous single-magnet studies, this system did not produce significant changes in short-latency intracortical inhibition or facilitation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study was conducted only on healthy young adults, so it provides no data on how this device affects people with neurological or psychiatric conditions. The sample size was small (17 participants). The mechanism of action for static magnetic fields remains unclear. The device has poorer focality (precision) than the standard single-magnet system.
Declared interests
Funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. No other conflicts of interest were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this as a validated treatment for any condition. The study tested a prototype device on healthy volunteers to confirm it works physically and physiologically in the motor cortex; it did not test clinical outcomes, safety in patients, or efficacy for any disease.