[Transcranial magnetic stimulation: applications in neurology].
BACKGROUND
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was first applied to assess conduction time along the corticospinal tract, namely by recording motor evoked potentials.


BACKGROUND
At present, TMS techniques include cortical excitability and mapping studies using single or paired-pulse paradigms on the one hand, and repetitive TMS to induce cortical plasticity and to modify brain function on the other hand. TMS is a valuable, non-invasive tool in the diagnosis and the pathophysiological assessment of cortical dysfunction involved in various neurological diseases (multiple sclerosis, myelopathy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, movement disorders, epilepsy, stroke).


CONCLUSIONS
In the near future, repetitive TMS could have therapeutic applications in neurology (epilepsy, stroke rehabilitation program) as is already the case in some psychiatric diseases. However, most of the new indications for treatment with cortical stimulation will be based on surgically-implanted neuromodulation procedures.
Lefaucheur
J-P
JP
Service de Physiologie - Explorations Fonctionnelles, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil. jean-pascal.lefaucheur@hmn.ap-hop-paris.fr
D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology; D009462:Neurology / Q000379:methods*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods