Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and repetitive TMS in multiple sclerosis

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most well-known autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system, and constitutes a major cause of disability, especially in young individuals. A wide array of pharmacological treatments is available, but they have often been proven to be ineffective in ameliorating disease symptomatology or slowing disease progress. As such, non-invasive and non-pharmacological techniques have been gaining more ground. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) utilizes the electric field generated by a magnetic coil to stimulate neurons and has been applied, usually paired with electroencephalography, to study the underlying pathophysiology of MS, and in repetitive trains, in the form of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), to induce long-lasting changes in neuronal circuits. In this review, we present the available literature on the application of TMS and rTMS in the context of MS, with an emphasis on its therapeutic potential on various clinical aspects, while also naming the ongoing trials, whose results are anticipated in the future. © 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.