transcranial magnetic stimulation

noun

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

ˌtranz-

: 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

Examples of transcranial magnetic stimulation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The non-placebo treatments included a variety of different transcranial magnetic stimulation approaches. —Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 26 Sep. 2023

And there’s transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), in which a wand delivers powerful magnetic pulses from outside the head to alter the activity of brain cells. —IEEE Spectrum, 16 Oct. 2023

More than 20 medications, by his count, hadn’t helped him in any durable way; neither had electroconvulsive therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or ketamine infusions. —Ingrid Wickelgren, Scientific American, 20 Sep. 2023

Others are studying the workings of the brain using modern technologies, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and transcranial magnetic stimulation, in attempts to unravel the conundrum of consciousness. —Discover Magazine, 11 Sep. 2023

On par with the magnetic field of an MRI is the one produced by a medical procedure known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). —Erica Tennenhouse, Discover Magazine, 25 May 2018

Another approach, transcranial magnetic stimulation, involves holding an electromagnetic coil against the scalp, which sends pulses to the brain that similarly mask pain signals. —Aria Bendix, NBC News, 16 May 2023

The treatment that helped Blecher is called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and uses magnetic fields to stimulate regions of the brain involved in addiction. —Simon Makin, Scientific American, 23 June 2023

In 2011, a team led by Harvard neuroscientists Edwin Robertson and Daniel Cohen used a technique known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to take a step in that direction. —Ben Thomas, Discover Magazine, 22 Dec. 2015

Word History

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

transcranial magnetic stimulation

noun

: 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

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

—abbreviation TMS