Is TMS Safe?
TMS is a safe and effective treatment.
TMS uses non-invasive magnetic pulses to stimulate the prefrontal cortex of
the brain to activate positive mood pathways:
• When an electrical current passes through a TMS coil it generates a magnetic field that
passes into the brain without resistance
• This magnetic field acts via induction to produce electrical activity in the underlying
cortical neurons
• If the stimulation is provided above a certain threshold, these neurons will depolarise
• The repeated firing of local cortical neurons induces an effect similar to long-term
potentiation.
The magnetic field reaches 2–3 cm beneath the skull, stimulating the
dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and activating a circuit which goes into the
limbic system.