Reliability of theta burst stimulation as a neuromodulation tool

Theta burst stimulation (TBS), a specific version of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), is known to induce long-term plasticity of the brain with a short-term administration. Although many studies and treatments have increasingly used TBS as a neuromodulation tool, its reliability is still in question. This article reviews a study by Boucher et al. (Boucher PO, Ozdemir RA, Momi D, Burke MJ, Jannati A, Fried PJ, Pascual-Leone A, Shafi MM, Santarnecchi E. Sci Rep 11: 21170, 2021) that found minimal reliability of TBS by examining different TBS protocols (intermittent/continuous/sham) and considers possible alternative explanations for the variability of TBS effects.