'Electronic Medicine' Directly Stimulating the Brain... Opening the Next-Generation Treatment Market

Electronic Stimulation After Wearing Specific Device on Head
Recent Studies on Possibility of Home Treatment
Treatment for Post-Stroke Sequelae Such as Cognitive Decline

Significant Effect Even for Patients Refusing Medication
Depression Electronic Drug 'MindSteam' Surpasses 6,000 Prescriptions in 3 Months

Professor Kim Yeon-hee of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Samsung Medical Center (center) is guiding electronic drug treatment for rehabilitation patients.
[Photo by Samsung Medical Center]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwanju] Research and development of ‘electronic medicine,’ expected to open the next-generation treatment market alongside digital therapeutics (DTx), is actively underway. While DTx is software that treats insomnia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dementia, addiction, and more, electronic medicine can be seen as hardware that provides direct stimulation to the brain and nerve cells for treatment. Electronic medicine is currently used mainly in medical settings for post-stroke rehabilitation and depression, and it is evaluated that its development and expansion of indications are faster than those of DTx.

Direct Stimulation to the Brain... Home Treatment Also Possible

The biggest difference between electronic medicine and DTx is whether it directly stimulates the body. Electronic medicine delivers electromagnetic stimulation directly by wearing a specific device on the head, also having some characteristics of medical devices. Generally, prescriptions and treatments are conducted in hospitals equipped with treatment devices and specialized personnel, but recently, research exploring the possibility of home treatment has been progressing. A representative achievement is the recent proof of the effectiveness of ‘transcranial direct current stimulation electronic medicine’ home treatment for chronic stroke patients by Professor Kim Yeonhee’s rehabilitation medicine team at Samsung Medical Center. This electronic medicine attaches electrodes to the patient’s head and stimulates the brain using electric current to treat various sequelae such as cognitive decline, depression, and aphasia experienced by many stroke patients. Traditionally, inpatient treatment at hospitals fully equipped with rehabilitation devices was common.

The research team divided 26 patients into two groups receiving either real electronic medicine or sham electronic medicine and attempted home treatment through online remote monitoring. Patients were pre-educated on how to use the device and were prevented from arbitrarily adjusting the equipment. As a result, the cognitive function scores of the real electronic medicine group improved by up to 30%. This means that physical constraints can be overcome through electronic medicine, enabling consistent rehabilitation treatment at home. Professor Kim explained, "The future direction of rehabilitation treatment is to continue treatment outside the hospital," adding, "Electronic medicine treatment conducted under remote monitoring showed actual effectiveness, and no side effects were found, confirming safety as well."

Ybrain's electronic medicine for depression 'Mindsteem'
Photo by Ybrain

Less Resistance and Greater Effectiveness

One advantage of electronic medicine is that it can be used without much burden even by patients who have resistance to taking medication. Since the device is simply worn on the head, discomfort during treatment is minimal, and because it directly applies electromagnetic stimulation to the brain, it is effective in treating brain-related diseases. Accordingly, the demand for electronic medicine is rapidly increasing. Mindsteem, an electronic medicine for depression by Ybrain, which began full-scale prescriptions in hospitals through a non-reimbursed notification in June this year, exceeded 6,000 cumulative in-hospital prescriptions in just over three months. Mindsteem was approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety after home-based confirmatory clinical trials for the treatment of mild to moderate depression. In a domestic multi-center clinical trial, applying Mindsteem alone for 30 minutes daily over six weeks resulted in a remission rate of 62.8% for depressive symptoms, showing a higher symptom improvement effect than the remission rate of existing antidepressants (about 50%).

Professor Noh Daeyoung of Hallym University College of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry said, "Greater effects can be expected when electronic medicine is used as an adjunctive therapy for patients who have resistance or side effects to existing depression treatments," adding, "The advantage of home use will also encourage patients to actively pursue depression treatment."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.