Clinical Applications of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Pediatric Neurology

J Child Neurol. 2015 Aug;30(9):1111-24. doi: 10.1177/0883073814553274. Epub 2014 Oct 23.

Abstract

Noninvasive brain stimulation is now an accepted technique that is used as a diagnostic aid and in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders in adults, and is being increasingly used in children. In this review, we will discuss the basic principles and safety of one noninvasive brain stimulation method, transcranial magnetic stimulation. Improvements in the spatial accuracy of transcranial magnetic stimulation are described in the context of image-guided transcranial magnetic stimulation. The article describes and provides examples of the current clinical applications of transcranial magnetic stimulation in children as an aid in the diagnosis and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders and discusses future potential applications. Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a noninvasive tool that is safe for use in children and adolescents for functional mapping and treatment, and for many children it aids in the preoperative evaluation and the risk-benefit decision making.

Keywords: children; depression; functional mapping; neuromodulation; noninvasive brain stimulation; plasticity; presurgical mapping; rapid rate transcranial magnetic stimulation; seizures; transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Brain Mapping
  • Humans
  • Nervous System Diseases / therapy*
  • Neurology*
  • Pediatrics*
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / methods*