Transcranial magnetic stimulation

We have briefly reviewed the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) method, which has been widely used as one of the noninvasive brain stimulation techniques in humans in the field of basic neuroscience or clinical neurology. Four topics are summarized. Basic mechanism of action: Which part of the brain is activated and how it is stimulated are discussed mainly based on the results of motor cortical stimulation in single-pulse TMS. Single-pulse and paired-pulse TMS: Motor cortical (M1) output function is studied with a single-pulse TMS. The M1 excitability changes produced by inputs from within M1 or from other parts of the brain are studied by a paired-pulse TMS. Repetitive TMS (rTMS): The long-term effects induced by rTMS, which continue after the intervention and sometimes are used as treatment, are summarized. Variability, safety, and others: These issues are summarized based on previous works.