Development and validation of the transcranial magnetic stimulation reporting assessment tool (TMS-RAT)

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Medical Technology

Background:

• Standardized reporting tools are crucial for transparency and comparison in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies.
• Existing checklists lack clear definitions and have not been evaluated for usability or reliability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a comprehensive reporting framework for TMS studies.
• To improve the transparency, consistency, and reproducibility of TMS research.

Main Methods:

• Developed the TMS Reporting Assessment Tool (TMS-RAT) with clear definitions and examples.
• Tested TMS-RAT usability and reliability with 17 raters on 333 afferent conditioning studies (1987-2025).
• Refined the tool based on inter-rater reliability, rater feedback, and expert consultation.

Main Results:

• Introduced TMS-RAT v1.0 (72 items) for comprehensive reporting and v1.1 (50 items) for retrospective evaluation.
• TMS-RAT v1.1 demonstrated high inter-rater (AC1=0.78) and test-retest reliability (AC1=0.82).
• The tool's validation is currently limited to afferent conditioning studies using motor evoked potentials.

Conclusions:

• The TMS-RAT is a reliable and comprehensive tool designed to enhance transparency and reproducibility in TMS research.
• Future work will extend the TMS-RAT to encompass a wider range of TMS protocols.