Transcranial magnetic stimulation in forensic populations: scoping review

The literature discusses the association between criminal behavior and brain functional dysfunctions, underscoring the relevance of investigating and intervening on the neural correlates and structures associated with criminal and antisocial behavior. In this context, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been used to explore brain functioning and has shown significant effects in modulating cognitive and affective functions and as an intervention for various pathologies. This scoping review aims to explore how TMS has been used in forensic context, providing an overview of the TMS patterns used, the respective protocols, and the main conclusions drawn from these investigations, as well as their implications.

The literature search was carried out on b-ON, EBSCO and PubMed, and included all studies carried out up to the date of the search, written in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish.

Three studies were identified for review, which demonstrate the potential of TMS in screening and diagnosing functional deficits associated with criminal behavior. It also highlights the untapped potential of TMS as an intervention with forensic populations, as well as the need for research with more diverse samples.