Reading log
TMS
A dated log of transcranial magnetic stimulation: the regulatory decisions, papers, machines, and tools worth keeping track of, newest first. How the method works is in the topic entry; the stimulators I have built are under build.
2026
-
Mingzhu Li et al. · American Journal of Psychiatry
Double-blind, single-centre RCT (123 randomised; 20 iTBS sessions in 2 weeks, robotic neuronavigation): 5 cm rule vs targets set by resting-state anticorrelation or tractography to the subgenual cingulate. Tractography targets beat the 5 cm rule on the week-2 primary outcome; both did at week 6, neither at week 12.
-
FDA clears Wave Neuroscience MeRT System as adjunct treatment for adult PTSD
FDA 510(k) K260402 · Wave Neuroscience
First clearance under SIG, FDA's TMS-for-PTSD product code. MagVenture hardware stimulates dorsomedial prefrontal cortex at 80% MT and a per-patient 8–13 Hz rate from EEG alpha. In a 158-person sham-controlled trial, active exceeded sham on PCL-5 (p<0.046) and CAPS-5 (p<0.0006); EEG-set versus fixed rate was untested.
-
FDA clears MagVenture Accelerated TMS Therapy System for multiple daily sessions
FDA 510(k) K260189 · Tonica Elektronik (MagVenture)
A labelling expansion on unchanged hardware: 2–4 rTMS or 2–10 iTBS sessions a day for adult MDD after inadequate antidepressant response, targeted by Beam F3, 5.5 cm placement or MRI navigation, not individualised fcMRI. Clinical data were a literature review, not a new trial; primary predicate Magnus SAINT (K220177).
-
Hangyu Tan et al. · BMJ
Three hospitals in China randomised 200 children aged 4–10 with autism to sham or accelerated cTBS over the left M1 hotspot (80% resting motor threshold, 10 sessions a day for 5 days, no neuronavigation). SRS-2 scores (0–195) fell an adjusted 6.25 points more than sham, 6.17 at one month; adverse events 54.5% vs 29.3%.
2025
-
Yosef A. Berlow et al. · Brain Stimulation
Retrospective cohort from over 30 VA sites: 658 veterans with PTSD and depression had left 10 Hz (3000 pulses), left iTBS (600) or H1 deep TMS. After propensity matching, PTSD remission (PCL-5 below 33) was 43.6% vs 48.6% (10 Hz vs iTBS) and 43.2% vs 49.2% (vs deep TMS); both non-inferior to 10 Hz. No sham arm.
-
FDA clears accelerated iTBS protocol for BrainsWay Deep TMS
FDA 510(k) K251449 · BrainsWay
Adds an accelerated iTBS course with standard H1 placement and no image-guided targeting: five ~10-minute sessions a day on six days in two weeks, then two a day weekly for four weeks. In 89 completers of 104 randomised, HDRS-21 fell 19.02 vs 19.79 points at six weeks with standard 18 Hz Deep TMS, meeting non-inferiority.
-
FDA grants De Novo to QuantalX Delphi-MD for measuring TMS-evoked potentials
FDA De Novo DEN250002 · QuantalX Neuroscience
Creates a new class II device type, the non-invasive evoked response brain stimulator (21 CFR 882.1860), with special controls. Delphi-MD elicits and records TMS-evoked potentials of left and right M1, DLPFC and V1, comparing amplitudes and latencies with a normative database for ages 50–75; not a standalone diagnostic.
-
Christian Plewnia et al. · The Lancet Psychiatry
Phase 3 trial at seven German centres: 138 adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorder and persistent auditory verbal hallucinations were randomised to 15 sessions of bilateral temporo-parietal cTBS or sham over 3 weeks. PSYRATS-AH scores fell more with active cTBS (adjusted difference −2.36, 95% CI −4.71 to −0.01; p=0.042).
-
Nadia Soliman et al. · The Lancet Neurology
NeuPSIG's revised neuropathic pain recommendations rest on a meta-analysis of 313 double-blind randomised trials, 29 of them neuromodulation. Motor cortex rTMS had an NNT of 4.2 (95% CI 2.3–28.3; low certainty); 10–20 Hz M1 rTMS joined botulinum toxin A and opioids as weak third-line, partly for cost and availability.
-
Multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation with pulse-width modulation
Heikki Sinisalo et al. · Brain Stimulation
Microsecond-scale PWM sets coil output without readjusting coil voltages, which can take up to a few seconds; the authors deem millisecond-scale retargeting feasible. In six volunteers, 2- or 3-coil PWM did not differ significantly from trapezoidal pulses; with five coils, PWM MEPs were 20% smaller at 120–130% of RMT.
-
A wearable repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation device
Zihui Qi et al. · Nature Communications
Battery-powered rTMS with a bent nickel–iron powder-core coil (57 µH vs 16 µH for a Magstim D70) and a 1.3 kg stimulator charging to 1600 V; 3 kg in all. At full output it reaches about 90% of a Magstim Super Rapid2 Plus's intensity, with a calculated loss of 13.4 J per pulse against 149 J. It was used during free walking.
-
Accelerated Theta-Burst Stimulation for Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Matheus Rassi F. Ramos et al. · JAMA Psychiatry
Single-centre, triple-blind São Paulo trial: 100 patients with treatment-resistant depression were randomised to iTBS or sham, three 1200-pulse sessions a day for 15 weekdays, aimed by scalp measurement, no neuronavigation. At week 5 HDRS-17 fell a mean 54.7% vs 31.87% (Cohen d 0.65); at week 3 both were down about 44%.
-
FDA clears Ampa One TMS system for major depressive disorder
FDA 510(k) K243319 · Neuromodulatory Devices & Applications (Ampa)
Cleared on bench testing of phase-change-cooled coils aimed via an in-coil camera and pre-marked cap. Ampa quotes a 2.2 lb coil and magnetic-field correlations of 0.981 and 0.986 with the MagVita B70 and BrainsWay H7. It first used an external MagPro R30; K251210 (June 2025) swapped in Ampa's own R30-like pulse generator.
2024
-
Nicholas T. Trapp et al. · Clinical Neurophysiology
This update of the National Network of Depression Centers' 2018 consensus on TMS for depression is endorsed by the Clinical TMS Society and IFCN. Agreed by modified Delphi after a 2016–2022 systematic search, it covers safety, efficacy, training and documentation, and encourages work on targeting and accelerated protocols.
-
Iris Dalhuisen et al. · American Journal of Psychiatry
A Dutch multicentre trial randomised 89 patients with inadequate response to at least two treatments to 25 sessions of high-frequency left DLPFC rTMS or an antidepressant switch, both alongside psychotherapy. Over 8 weeks rTMS gave higher response (37.5% vs 14.6%) and remission (27.1% vs 4.9%).
-
FDA 510(k) K231926 · Neuronetics
Every earlier FDA TMS depression clearance was for adults. Evidence was a retrospective TrakStar registry analysis of 1,169 adolescents plus a literature review, not a new randomised trial; the label needs no prior antidepressant failure. Magstim, MagVenture, BrainsWay and others gained the same indication from 2025.
-
Richard Morriss et al. · Nature Medicine
Five-centre, double-blind RCT in treatment-resistant depression (n = 255): iTBS at a left-DLPFC site set by effective connectivity from the right anterior insula versus standard rTMS at F3, both MRI-neuronavigated, 20 sessions each. Both arms improved, with no difference on HAMD-17 over 26 weeks.
2022
-
SimNIBS 4.0 released with the charm head segmentation and meshing pipeline
SimNIBS (DRCMR & DTU) · GitHub release v4.0.0
The charm pipeline replaced headreco and mri2mesh, building tetrahedral head meshes from T1- (optionally T2-) weighted MRI and adding spongy bone and large blood vessels to the models. The release also shipped 25 validated TMS coil models; head models from 3.x have to be converted to run in 4.0.
-
FDA clears Magnus Neuromodulation System with SAINT Technology for major depressive disorder
FDA 510(k) K220177 · Magnus Medical
Adults with major depression not improved enough by antidepressants in the current episode: iTBS at 90% motor threshold, ten sessions a day for five days (90,000 pulses) on a MagVenture X100, aimed at left DLPFC by structural and functional-connectivity MRI. Remission within a month: 78.6% (11/14), sham 13.3% (2/15).
2018
-
FDA grants De Novo for BrainsWay Deep TMS system as adjunct OCD treatment
FDA De Novo DEN170078 · BrainsWay
Adjunct OCD treatment in adults, with BrainsWay's H7 coil. The grant created 21 CFR 882.5802, a device type for TMS in neurological and psychiatric conditions, since used for further OCD clearances and for smoking cessation and PTSD. Pivotal trial (20 Hz): 6-week response 38.1% vs 11.1% with sham (modified intention-to-treat).
-
FDA clears MagVita TMS Therapy System with theta burst stimulation for major depressive disorder
FDA 510(k) K173620 · Tonica Elektronik A/S (MagVenture)
The first FDA rTMS clearance of an iTBS protocol, for adult MDD not satisfactorily improved by antidepressant medication in the current episode: 600 pulses (50 Hz triplets at 5 Hz, 2 s on, 8 s off, 120% MT) in 3 min 9 s, against 19–37.5 min for 10 Hz. MagVenture cited THREE-D, where iTBS was non-inferior.
-
Daniel M. Blumberger et al. · The Lancet
At three Canadian university hospitals, 414 adults with treatment-resistant depression were randomised to left-DLPFC 10 Hz rTMS (37.5-minute sessions) or iTBS (3 minutes). Mean HRSD-17 fell 23.5 to 13.4 and 23.6 to 13.4; iTBS was non-inferior (2.25-point margin). Dropout was similar; iTBS was rated more painful.
-
Multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation—theory and implementation
Lari M. Koponen et al. · Brain Stimulation
Proposed electronic targeting with large overlapping coils designed by matrix factorisation, as coil movement is slow and limits feedback-controlled TMS. A two- coil transducer moved the spot along a 30 mm cortical line in two volunteers; a computed five-coil design allows any target and direction in about 30 × 30 mm².
2017
-
Christoph Zrenner et al. · Brain Stimulation
Real-time EEG processing triggered TMS at the negative (trough) or positive peak of the sensorimotor mu-rhythm in healthy subjects. Otherwise identical rTMS (200 triple-pulse 100 Hz bursts at about 1 Hz) gave an LTP-like rise in MEPs at the trough and no change at the peak: the phase set the outcome.
2013
-
FDA clears BrainsWay Deep TMS System with H1 coil for major depressive disorder
FDA 510(k) K122288 · BrainsWay Ltd.
Cleared for adults with major depression whose current episode had not improved enough on antidepressants. The air-core H1 coil trades focality for slower E-field decay with depth; sessions: 1,980 pulses at 18 Hz, 120% of motor threshold. Per-protocol remission 32.6% vs 14.6% with sham; intention-to-treat not significant.
2009
-
Simone Rossi et al. · Clinical Neurophysiology
IFCN-supported Siena consensus (March 2008) updating the 1998 guidelines: seizure risk, stimulation limits, screening, monitoring, implanted electrodes, imaging, team expertise. The 2021 update kept its screening, monitoring and seizure-management advice and covered new devices, pulse configurations and makers' duties.
2008
-
FDA grants De Novo request for NeuroStar TMS System in major depressive disorder
FDA De Novo DEN070003 · Neuronetics
FDA granted the De Novo request for NeuroStar, for adults with major depressive disorder without satisfactory improvement from one adequate antidepressant trial in the current episode. It created the class II rTMS device type (21 CFR 882.5805, code OBP) under which later depression systems such as SAINT are cleared.
-
Angel V. Peterchev et al. · IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering
Described cTMS, a prototype whose IGBT switches coil currents of up to 6 kA to induce near-rectangular electric-field pulses of adjustable width (5 to over 100 µs). Against matched cosine pulses these used up to 34% less energy and caused 67–72% less coil heating; in monkey motor cortex, threshold fell as width rose.
2005
-
Theta Burst Stimulation of the Human Motor Cortex
Ying-Zu Huang et al. · Neuron
Adapted the animal theta-burst paradigm to rTMS: bursts of three 50 Hz pulses repeated at 5 Hz. In nine healthy volunteers, a 40 s continuous train (cTBS, 600 pulses) suppressed motor evoked potentials for up to an hour; 2 s trains every 10 s (iTBS) facilitated them. iTBS later became a 3-minute depression treatment.
1985
-
Non-invasive magnetic stimulation of human motor cortex
A. T. Barker et al. · The Lancet
Letter from the Sheffield group reporting non-invasive magnetic stimulation of the human motor cortex. Barker and Freeston later called it the first demonstration of TMS, and described it as essentially painless because, unlike electrical stimulation, no current is driven through the skin by electrodes.