Robert Fischell: TED Prize wish: Finding new cures for migraine, depression, malpractice

Accepting his 2005 TED Prize, inventor Robert Fischell makes three wishes: redesigning a portable migraine treatment, finding new cures for clinical depression, and reforming the medical malpractice system. He also shares three new inventions that could improve the lives of millions: His Angel Med Guardian System -- a pacemaker-sized device wired into the heart -- detects an elevation in the electric signal of the heart, the first sign of a heart attack. His transcranial magnetic stimulator treats migraines with a magnetic pulse. Finally, the Neuropace prevents epileptic seizures by transmitting electric signals in the brain.

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Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) currently is being investigated as a treatment for major depression.  (See href="http://spectrum.ieee.org/mar06/3050">Psychiatry's Shocking New Tools in IEEE Spectrum.)  Now, there is a report that it also may be useful for migraine headache…
I just couldn't resist that title. A more accurate title would have been "Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Prevents Migraines From Progressing," but, when in doubt, err on the side of drama. And, I actually wasn't THAT far off, really. (Note: Ray gun above is not real (duh). Real device under the…
Previously, I href="http://scienceblogs.com/corpuscallosum/2007/01/transcranial_direct_current_st.php">wrote about investigation of href="http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2006/04/newsci_head_electric.html">tDCS for treatment of href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fibromyalgia/DS00079"…
Jonah posted an href="http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2008/05/tms.php">interesting video of  href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcranial_magnetic_stimulation" rel="tag">Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) on The Frontal Cortex.  That got me to wondering if there was anything new…

Of his three wishes I can see the first two coming to fruition. That last one is going to be tough because I doubt the trial lawyers will stand for it.