TMS research

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I've been reading John Robison's (author of 'Look Me In The Eye') blog and it seems he's involved in some rather interesting research.

Reading about John's TMS treatment has been fascinating. The process stimulates specific parts of the brain (with an accuracy of 1% brain mass), this has the effect of temporarily elevating many AS symptoms as described here. What is more interesting still is the reports that the effects are lasting significantly longer than expected. What this implies to me, although I am certainly not a neurologist, is that the stimulation is teaching the brain how to process in a certain way in the short term but the person receiving the treatment is able to recall this and teach themselves skills in the long term. From
further reading it seems the process does not aim to 'fix' the autistic brain but rather reinforce it thus maintaining the skills we have and simply adding a social skills set to them. In his blog John even notes regaining a savant like ability to 'see music'.

My only concern is that it's receiving supportive attention from 'Age of Autism (Daily Web Newspaper of the Autism Epidemic)'. I find this particularly odd as them seem determined to keep the mercury myth alive and sell their sponsors placebo 'biomeds'. The effectiveness of TMS treatment however seems like a nail in the coffin for environmental causes. Maybe I'm just being cynical and Age of Autism are naïve victims of sensationalist journalism and new age medicine.

Anyway, this seems like good discussion material to me, I know we have some neurologists kicking about here and I'd like to hear what others think.

Your description is spot on. I think the TMS exposed the brain to something new, and it's built pathways to get what it saw. That's how it feels. And you are right . . . no one see this as any kind of "autism cure." Rather, this is a therapy that targets a specific weakness many of us would like to improve in ourselves.

All my Aspergian eccentricities are still here, but it's as if my eyes are opened, in an emotional sense.

Anyone who's in Boston is welcome to write me and stop by the lab, if you'd like to see for yourself.

The music ability that you refered to is indeed remarkable.

For a moment I though you were posting about tetramethylsilane...
I haven't looked at the literature on this and I'm not a neurologist, but I've heard that there is real evidence magnetic stimulation can have a positive effect on depression, so it's not inconceivable it could have a benefit on the downsides of AS. Anyone know more, particularly in the UK?

Kate, the way it seem sto work is, if you understand more emotion, you express more.

For example, if you smiled at me before, i didn't really do much in return. Now, I smile a bit in return. That's called mirroring.

It's a subtle but powerful change.

fascinating! i'll get the book.

is there anyone researching this in the uk? im a willing and ready Guinea Pig.... i'd try anything to help.
my quality of life is pretty awful; buying pretty shoes is not really much compensation...

I'm undergoing TMS at the Alfred Hospital starting in 2 weeks' time, I hope I'll get the same benefits as John Robison...

Will be reporting back on my results later.