Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, is a non-invasive neurostimulation technique that generates a large magnetic field by inducing a current in a coil of copper wire.

Based on Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction, application of this magnetic field to the scalp then influences the underlying electrical currents in the brain. The geometry of this electric field can be influenced by a number of things, such as the type and orientation of the TMS coil and the waveform of the magnetic pulse. TMS can be delivered repetitively (rTMS) using either low-frequency (LF-rTMS, ≤1 Hz) or high frequency (HF-rTMS, ≥5 Hz) stimulation. To date, rTMS has already received European Conformity marking and Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of depression both with and without comorbid anxiety symptoms, obsessive-compulsive disorder, sub stance use disorders, and migraine, and is under investigation for various other neuropsychiatric disorders.