Lancet Psychiatry
Magnetic seizure therapy for depression matches electroconvulsive therapy, with less memory loss
Clinical takeaway: Magnetic seizure therapy may give severe depression patients another option when electroconvulsive therapy might be effective, but concern about memory side effects remains a treatment barrier.
Electroconvulsive therapy is one of the most effective treatments for severe, hard-to-treat depression, but many patients avoid it because it can affect memory. This study suggests that magnetic seizure therapy could preserve antidepressant benefits while reducing that tradeoff.
The two treatments performed similarly, with about half of patients in both groups achieving a clinical response. Remission rates were 27.8% with electroconvulsive therapy and 22.5% with magnetic seizure therapy, which met the study’s noninferiority goal.
Memory problems were much less common with magnetic seizure therapy, affecting 2.7% of patients versus 17.3% with electroconvulsive therapy. Patients receiving magnetic seizure therapy also reoriented faster after treatment and did better on several other cognitive measures.
This was a randomized, double-blind trial at three centers in Canada and the United States. A total of 239 adults with major depressive disorder were assigned to magnetic seizure therapy or ultra-brief right unilateral electroconvulsive therapy. Treatment continued until remission, dropout, or up to 21 sessions.
“For decades, we’ve known that electroconvulsive therapy is one of the most effective treatments for severe depression, but its cognitive side effects have limited its use,” said senior scientist and study co-lead Daniel Blumberger, MD, of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. “Our findings show that magnetic seizure therapy can deliver similar benefits with much less impact on memory.”
Magnetic seizure therapy is not FDA-approved for severe depression, so broader use would depend on regulatory approval, clinician training, and implementation.
Source: Blumberger DM. Lancet Psychiatry. 2026 May. Confirmatory efficacy and safety trial of magnetic seizure therapy versus right unilateral ultra-brief electroconvulsive therapy in depression (CREST-MST): a randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority trial in Canada and the USA