New Depression Treatment Matches ECT with Less Memory Loss, Study Says

Key TakeawaysMagnetic seizure therapy was as effective as the standard treatment for severe depressionIn a large clinical trial, nearly half of the patients saw significant improvements in their symptomsThis new method protects parts of the brain responsible for short-term memory.FRIDAY, April 17, 2026 (HealthDay News) — For patients with severe depression, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has long been the go-to when other treatments haven’t helped.However, the fear of losing memories or experiencing confusion often leads patients to steer clear of ECT, which uses an electric current to induce seizure activity in the brain. After ECT, 30% to 60% of cases go into remission.An international study suggests that a newer, more precise method called magnetic seizure therapy (MST) offers the same healing power with a much higher safety profile.The study, to be published in the May issue of The Lancet Psychiatry, randomly assigned nearly 300 adult patients across the U.S. and Canada into two treatment groups for their severe depression.Some were hospitalized, others were not. All were diagnosed with non-psychotic major depressive disorder. One group had MST, the other had ECT.Researchers found that 48% of patients in both groups experienced a meaningful clinical recovery.While the success rates were identical, the impact on patients' brains was not.The primary difference between the two treatments is how they stimulate the brain. ECT uses electrical currents to induce a therapeutic seizure, but that electricity can spread to brain areas such as the hippocampus, which controls memory. MST, on the other hand, uses high-intensity magnetic pulses to trigger a much more targeted seizure, sparing brain regions responsible for memory and thinking.The study found that more participants treated with ECT had worsening memory (17.3%) compared with MST participants (2.7%). Overall, 12 people in the ECT group and three in the MST group stopped treatment due to non-serious adverse events.“This is a major milestone for the field,” study co-leader Dr. Daniel Blumberger, a senior scientist at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, said in a news release. “Our findings show that magnetic seizure therapy can deliver similar benefits with much less impact on memory, which could make this kind of treatment a more viable option for many people who need it.”Roughly one-third of people with major depressive disorder fail to find relief through standard medications or talk therapy, researchers said. While brain stimulation can be life-saving for these individuals, only a small fraction choose to undergo it because they fear the cognitive consequences.By proving that magnetic therapy can match the effectiveness of electricity without the high cost to the patient's memory, researchers hope to open the door for thousands more people to seek help.“If approved and implemented more broadly, it could transform how we deliver brain stimulation therapies and significantly improve the patient experience,” said co-author Dr. Zafiris Daskalakis, a professor and head of psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine in California.While MST still needs further work to support regulatory approval, the findings pave the way for it to move into the mainstream, researchers said.More informationThe National Institute of Mental Health has more on currently available brain stimulation therapies and how they work.SOURCES: Center for Addiction and Mental Health, news release, April 15, 2026; The Lancet Psychiatry, May 2026 .What This Means For YouIf you or a loved one is struggling with severe depression that hasn't improved with medication, talk to a psychiatrist about the latest advancements in brain stimulation that may avoid cognitive side effects..Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

New Depression Treatment Matches ECT with Less Memory Loss, Study Says

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