Exploring the Role of TMS in Evaluating Brain Function and Addressing Mental Health Disorders: A Comprehensive Review
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By
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Youyou Teng
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Ziqi Gu
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Ling Ding
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Huicong Shi
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Zhifei Gao
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Haiyun Xu
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July 6, 2026
Clinical Report: Exploring the Role of TMS in Evaluating Brain Function
Overview
This comprehensive review discusses the use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in treating mental disorders and evaluating brain function. It outlines the stimulation modes and parameter settings of TMS, summarizes the therapeutic effects of TMS on major mental disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, and synthesizes the cellular and molecular mechanisms of its therapeutic effects based on preclinical research.
Background
The monoamine hypothesis has long been a focal point in understanding mental disorders, yet pharmacological treatments often yield unsatisfactory results. TMS, approved by the FDA for depression treatment in 2008, offers a non-invasive alternative for both therapeutic and diagnostic purposes.
Data Highlights
No numerical data provided in the source material.
Key Findings
- TMS is used in treating major depressive disorder (MDD) and other mental disorders.
- It can assess brain function by mapping neural pathways and measuring cortical excitability.
- Therapeutic mechanisms involve neurotransmitter expression, neuroinflammation, and neuroplasticity.
- Combining TMS with neuroimaging techniques enhances evaluation of treatment efficacy.
- At least 50% of patients with depression do not respond to first-line antidepressants.
Clinical Implications
TMS can be utilized in treating patients with mental disorders who do not respond to conventional therapies.
Conclusion
TMS is a non-invasive approach to evaluate and treat mental health disorders.
Related Resources & Content
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- Frontiers in Neurology, 2026 -- Efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation for mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
- The Management of Major Depressive Disorder: Synopsis of the 2022 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guideline | Annals of Internal Medicine
- Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) 2023 Update on Clinical Guidelines for Management of Major Depressive Disorder in Adults
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- The Management of Major Depressive Disorder: Synopsis of the 2022 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guideline | Annals of Internal Medicine
- Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) 2023 Update on Clinical Guidelines for Management of Major Depressive Disorder in Adults: Réseau canadien pour les traitements de l'humeur et de l'anxiété (CANMAT) 2023 : Mise à jour des lignes directrices cliniques pour la prise en charge du trouble dépressif majeur chez les adultes - PMC
- Consensus Review and Considerations on TMS to Treat Depression: A Comprehensive Update Endorsed by the National Network of Depression Centers, the Clinical TMS Society, and the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology - PMC
- Effectiveness of theta burst versus high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with depression (THREE-D): a randomised non-inferiority trial
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Across Mental Disorders: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis - PMC
- Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder: A meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials - ScienceDirect
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation–Electroencephalography for Biomarker Discovery in Psychiatry - ScienceDirect
- TMS combined with EEG: Recommendations and open issues for data collection and analysis
- Clinical utility and prospective of TMS–EEG: Updated review from an international expert group - PMC
Based on findings from:
The applications of TMS in brain function assessment and treatment of mental disorders: a narrative review
Youyou Teng, Ziqi Gu, Ling Ding, Huicong Shi, Zhifei Gao, Haiyun Xu. Frontiers In Psychiatry, 2026.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1860185/full
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