Definition of transcranial magnetic stimulation
: a noninvasive technique for stimulating brain neurons that uses an insulated electromagnetic coil placed superficially on the skull to produce magnetic fields which penetrate cranial tissue and generate electric currents in specific areas of the brain
—abbreviation TMS
Note:
Transcranial magnetic stimulation is used especially to test and localize brain functions and to treat depression and some forms of pain.
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation, which has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for depression, targets neurons in areas of the brain involved in mood by placing a magnetic coil on the head.
- —Sarah Baldauf
- Now a small but growing number of researchers see hope in a tool called transcranial magnetic stimulation, which lets scientists spark activity in specific areas of the brain and watch what happens to patients' behavior.
- —Carolyn Y. Johnson
