transcranial magnetic stimulation

noun

trans·cra·ni·al magnetic stimulation | \ ˌtran(t)s-ˈkrā-nē-əl- ,

ˌtranz- \

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

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Migraine specialists are also exploring other treatments, including forehead and eyelid surgery to decompress branches of the trigeminal nerve, as well as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a noninvasive way of altering nerve cell activity. — David Noonan, Scientific American, "New Nerve Drugs May Finally Prevent Migraine Headaches," 1 Dec. 2015 The hope is to then use neurostimulation, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, to activate those circuits in a more fruitful way. — Stacey Burling, Philly.com, "Strange but true: Sleep deprivation can help depression. Penn scientists want to know why," 21 Sep. 2017 Scientists from the Würzburg University Hospital in Germany have been experimenting with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), using targeted magnetic fields to trigger increased activity in particular parts of the brain. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Will Magnets and VR Cure Your Weird Phobia?," 18 Sep. 2017 The article is packed with descriptions of cutting-edge treatments such as transcranial magnetic stimulation. — Erin Blakemore, Washington Post, "Unraveling the mysteries of the addicted brain," 2 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'transcranial magnetic stimulation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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The first known use of transcranial magnetic stimulation was in 1988

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transcranial magnetic stimulation

noun

Medical Definition of transcranial magnetic stimulation

: a noninvasive technique for stimulating brain neurons that uses an insulated electromagnetic coil usually placed superficially on the scalp to produce magnetic fields which generate electric currents in specific areas of the brain

Note: Transcranial magnetic stimulation is used especially to measure and map brain functions and to treat depression and neuropathic pain.

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, The Boston Globe, 8 June 2009 After a suicide attempt in 2009, she tried something radically different: transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, a treatment in which magnetic pulses are used to stimulate parts of the brain believed to be involved in mood regulation. —Roni Caryn Rabin, The New York Times, 2 July 2013 —abbreviation TMS

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