Application of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Diagnosis, Treatment, and Functional Mapping in Pediatric Epilepsy

Abstract

For the past decades, transcranial magnetic stimulation?the method based on the application of magnetic field to the intact brain through the stimulation coil?has been extensively used for investigations of the excitability of the brain. The method is safe and well tolerable in the child population. Existing data suggest three main indications for transcranial magnetic stimulation application in epilepsy as follows: (1) diagnostic measures of cortical excitability; (2) noninvasive functional mapping of epileptogenic zone and cortex prior surgery; and (3) therapeutic modulation of cortical excitability. The abovementioned application areas are reviewed with emphasizing particular aspects in children.