If you’ve ever stuck a fridge magnet on a grocery list and thought, “Wow, this is powerful technology,” you’re already emotionally prepared for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The difference is TMS isn’t trying to keep your TO DO list from flying away… it’s could be a tool that helps keep your entire memory intact.
Dementia is one of the most challenging diagnoses for patients, families, and clinicians. It affects memory, thinking, behavior, and daily functioning, and it rarely comes in a package by itself. Sleep disruption, depression, anxiety, and caregiver burnout often show up too. While today’s dementia medications can help some symptoms for some people, there’s an ongoing search for complementary, non-drug tools that may support cognition and quality of life.
One option being actively studied: repetitive TMS (rTMS).
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique that uses magnetic impulses to stimulate the brain. It doesn’t require medications, surgery, implants, or anesthesia, making it safe for people with other health problems or complicated medication regimens. It’s not like the Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) most people picture when they think of a brain stimulating device. That requires an OR and sedation and uses electricity. The magnets of TMS feel like a tapping on the scalp, but that magnetic impulse is enough to wake up some sleepier parts of the brain and get them firing a little better.
There are different “flavors” of TMS, but the one most often discussed in research is repetitive TMS (rTMS), meaning pulses are delivered in patterned trains over several minutes. Another commonly discussed variant is theta burst stimulation (TBS), which uses shorter bursts designed to mimic natural brain rhythms.
Think of the brain as a collection of interconnected networks that communicate using electrical activity and chemical signaling. In many brain conditions, the issue isn’t just “a damaged spot”… it’s how networks actually talk to each other.
rTMS can influence this network communication by changing cortical excitability (how “ready” a region is to fire) and encouraging plasticity (the brain’s ability to adapt). Very broadly:
In research settings, repeated sessions can produce effects that outlast the stimulation period, suggesting changes in learning-like processes in the brain. A helpful way to imagine it: rTMS is less like “turning the brain on,” and more like adjusting the gain on specific network pathways.
Neurological diseases often involve:
TMS is interesting because it’s targetable (you can stimulate specific cortical regions) and repeatable (daily sessions over weeks), and it can be paired with rehab or cognitive training to potentially strengthen beneficial network patterns.
That pairing idea matters: if rehabilitation is the practice, TMS may be a way to help the brain’s “practice mode” engage more effectively.
Most dementia-related TMS research focuses on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI)(often considered a risk state for dementia). Many studies target regions involved in attention, executive function, and memory networks, commonly the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and other network hubs.
In Alzheimer’s and related dementias, the brain’s communication highways can become inefficient. Some hubs are underactive, some are out of sync, and the system compensates until it can’t. rTMS is being studied as a way to:
The evidence isn’t “case closed,” but it is active and increasingly detailed.
If you’re looking for an honest summary: rTMS for dementia is promising, but not uniformly proven. Results vary based on:
In practical terms, some research suggests measurable cognitive improvements in some groups, while other studies show smaller or inconsistent effects. The research is encouraging, but the field is still answering key questions like: Which patients benefit most? What protocol works best? How durable are the improvements?
In other words, we’re not at “TMS is magic eraser for dementia,” but we may be closer to “TMS can be a helpful tool in a broader care plan,” which, honestly, is how most real medicine works.
Even though dementia gets a lot of headlines, TMS research has been expanding across neurology for years.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is primarily known for motor symptoms (tremor, rigidity, slowness), but it also affects mood and cognition. Meta-analytic evidence suggests rTMS can improve motor symptoms in PD, with effects influenced by stimulation site, frequency, and dose.
rTMS isn’t a replacement for PD medications or deep brain stimulation, but the research suggests it may be a useful adjunct for certain symptoms in certain patients, especially within structured protocols.
After stroke, the brain can become imbalanced, meaning one hemisphere may be underactive while the other “overcompensates.” rTMS is being studied as a way to restore healthier interhemispheric dynamics and support rehabilitation.
Rehabilitative therapies, like occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physical therapy, are the pillars of stroke recovery, but when integrated into post-stroke treatment plans, rTMS appears to help the brain be more “trainable” during therapy.
Yes! With calm excitement… and more patience than anyone who has or loves someone with cognitive losses probably has.
Here’s a grounded way to frame it:
For families navigating dementia, even small improvements, such as better attention, steadier mood, slightly easier communication, can meaningfully change daily life. If ongoing research can clarify who benefits and how to deliver treatment most effectively, TMS could become a more common part of comprehensive dementia care.
Wait, the thing used for depression can help my migraines? Yep. Learn how.
