Coma victim able to speak again after pioneering magnetic field therapy

By David Derbyshire
Last updated at 10:04 AM on 16th October 2008

Josh Villa can speak again after doctors waved a magnet at his head while he was in a coma

A man who suffered brain damage in a car crash can speak again after doctors waved a magnet against his head while he was in a coma.

Doctors believe the electromagnetic field encouraged nerve cells to send a 'wake-up' signal to the brain.

Although magnetic therapy has been used to treat depression, Parkinson's disease and migraines, it is the first time it has been tried out on coma victims.

Josh Villa was 26 when his car mounted the kerb and flipped over, leaving him unconscious. After a year there was no sign of improvement.

But Dr Theresa Pape signed him up for experimental treatment using magnets, New Scientist reports today.

The technique - called transcranial magnetic stimulation or TMS - involves placing a coil of wire covered in plastic next to a patient's head.

When a rapidly changing current flows through the coil it creates a strong magnetic field - similar to the field created by a hospital MRI scanner.

After 15 sessions there were signs of improvement. Dr Pape said: 'They [the words] were very slurred but they were there. He'd say erm, help, help me.'

Mr Villa's mother, Laurie McAndrews of Rockford, Illinois, said: 'You started talking to him and he would turn his head and look at you. That was huge.'

He began to obey simple instructions - such  as following the movement of a thumb around the room and speaking single words.

Dr Theresa Pape, of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Chicago who helped treat Mr Villa  said:  'They were very slurred but they were there. He'd say "erm", "help", "help me".'

When the doctors ended the TMS treatment after 30 sessions, Mr Villa's condition worsened slightly and he became tired more easily. However, he was still better than before.

Another 10 sessions failed to make any improvement and he was sent home.

His mother believes that the treatment made a difference - and that he is easier to care for than before.

'When you talk to him he will move his mouth to show he is listening,' she said.

'If I ask him "Do you love me?" he'll do two slow eye blinks, yes.

Doctors believe nerve cells in Josh Villa's brain were 'woken up' by a powerful electromagnetic field

'Some people would say it's not much , but he's improving and that's the main thing.'

She added: 'Before I felt like he was not responsive, that he was depressed almost.

'Now you move him around and he complains - he can show emotions on that level.'

TMS can be carried out without sedation of anaesthetic. Some patients liken the sensation to being hit on the head with a rubber - and complain that it leaves them with a sore scalp for a few days.

Neuroscientists describe the case is intriguing - but say it is too soon to say whether magnets make any difference.

Dr John Whyte of the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute in Philadelphia said: 'Even after eight months it is not uncommon for patients to transition from the vegetative to the minimally conscious state without any particular intervention.'

However, he says TMS should be investigated as a way of rousing patients from deep comas.

Dr Papae is convinced that the treatment helped.

His condition had not improved since four months after the car crash. And after the 15th session, he improved with each dose of treatment.

She plans to treat a second coma patient later this year.

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