History, Studies and Specific Uses of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) in Treating Epilepsy

OBJECTIVE: In this study, repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) and its specific use for treating epilepsy were carefully scrutinized. MATERIALS & METHODS: Target researches such as review articles, case reports, books and theses, which had to do with therapeutic method of rTMS were surveyed. It is worth mentioning that until the final stages, the search for records and documents related to rTMS went on and in the end, the collected data underwent a qualitative analysis. RESULTS: As the literature review suggests, TMS principally applies electromagnetic induction to generate an electric current inside the brain without physical contact. The therapeutic uses of rTMS are for a wide range of mental disorders, namely epilepsy, chronic pains, motor disorders and so on. CONCLUSION: Despite safety concerns and possible side effects, many researchers subscribe to rTMS and see a bright future for it.