[Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS): physiology, psychology, brain mapping and clinical applications]

Non-invasive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) can painlessly induce conductive current to excite cortex. This changes physiological processing in the brain. Varying the parameters of TMS, differential physiologic effects, psychological impacts can be examined. Modulation of sensory perception, suppression or facilitation of cognitive capacity and behavioral performance depicts differential modulatory operation in the brain. TMS could be applied in the research of neurological disease, psychiatric disorders, and pharmacological investigation. Stereotaxic and frameless TMS can improve the anatomy-guided TMS and use for navigation in brain surgery. Finally, the principles derived from acupuncture mechanisms can be integrated into the frequency modulation effects on the brain, shared by TMS.