Research & Evidence
TMS is one of the most rigorously studied treatments in psychiatry — supported by hundreds of clinical trials and a growing body of evidence spanning over 30 years.
The Evidence for TMS
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is one of the most rigorously studied treatments in modern psychiatry. Since its first FDA clearance in 2008 for major depressive disorder, TMS has been the subject of hundreds of clinical trials involving tens of thousands of patients worldwide. The evidence is clear: TMS is safe, effective, and well-tolerated.1,2,3
At UCLA, our approach to TMS is deeply rooted in this evidence. Our protocols are designed by physician-scientists who actively conduct TMS research, and we continuously refine our treatment approaches based on the latest findings.
1 TMS is a Brain Network Treatment
2 Exceptional Safety Profile
TMS is one of the safest treatments in psychiatry. The risk of the most serious potential side effect — seizure — is extremely low, about 1 in 50,000 sessions or fewer, and exists only during the delivery of pulses.2 Common side effects (scalp discomfort, headache, fatigue) are mild and typically resolve within the first week of treatment.
3 FDA Clearance Based on Rigorous Trial Data
4 70% Maintained Benefit at One Year
Long-term follow-up studies have shown that the benefits of TMS are durable. One key study found that 70% of patients who responded to TMS maintained their improvement for at least one year (with continuation medications and/or retreatment as needed).7 When symptoms do recur, retreatment is typically effective.
Depression
Approximately two-thirds (~66%) of patients treated with TMS for depression report substantial benefit — including partial response, full response (≥50% symptom reduction), and complete remission.1,3 TMS targets the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC), a critical hub in the brain's mood regulation networks.4
1 OCD
In the pivotal multicenter trial that led to FDA clearance, about 38% of patients responded to deep TMS targeting the medial prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices (rising to roughly 45% at one-month follow-up), versus about 11% with sham.6
- FDA-cleared deep TMS with the H-coil reaches deeper midline structures such as the medial prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex8
- Depression and OCD can be treated in the same TMS course, often targeting different brain regions in a single session
- Designed for patients who haven't responded adequately to SSRIs and cognitive-behavioral therapy with exposure and response prevention (ERP)
2 Accelerated TMS (5×5)
A full course of TMS in one week instead of six, with comparable outcomes to standard treatment.9
- Each accelerated session is approximately 9 minutes long, with 5 sessions per day over 5 days
- UCLA’s protocol uses MRI-guided targeting for precise stimulation based on individual brain anatomy
- Follow-up appointments assess improvement over time, with additional single-day sessions available for boosting or consolidating benefits
3 Chronic Pain
Approximately 50% of patients report substantial benefit across a range of chronic pain conditions.4 TMS takes a “top-down” approach by modulating how the brain itself processes pain, making it particularly valuable for patients whose pain-processing circuits have become sensitized and overactive.
- Conditions treated include fibromyalgia, neuropathy, CRPS, migraine, joint disease, nerve injury, and chronic pelvic pain
- Pain targets can be added to a depression TMS course in the same sessions
- Unlike most pain treatments that target pain signals at the injury site, TMS modulates the brain’s pain-processing networks directly
4 Pain Neuromodulation
FDA-cleared Scrambler Therapy and mPNS offer additional noninvasive options for chronic neuropathic pain.10,11
- Scrambler Therapy retrains the nervous system by sending “non-pain” information through C-fibers, rather than simply blocking pain signals10,12
- mPNS (magnetic peripheral nerve stimulation) has demonstrated sustained pain relief at one-year follow-up13
- Most extensively studied for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia, CRPS, and postsurgical neuropathic pain
5 Tinnitus
Approximately 50% of patients report meaningful reduction in perceived loudness and distress. TMS targets two complementary brain areas to address both the phantom sound and its emotional burden.
- Left frontal cortex stimulation reduces the unpleasantness and emotional intrusiveness of tinnitus
- Auditory cortex stimulation directly targets the overactive neural circuits generating the phantom sound
- Tinnitus and depression can be treated together in the same TMS sessions
UCLA Is at the Forefront of TMS Research
Our physicians are not just clinicians — they are scientists actively conducting research to improve TMS outcomes for future patients. Every patient’s treatment contributes to our outcomes database, enabling continuous refinement of our protocols. UCLA currently has multiple clinical studies open for enrollment.
View Current Clinical StudiesLatest from Our Team
Data from PubMed, National Library of Medicine.
View All on PubMed →References
- Fitzgerald PB, et al. A pooled analysis of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) versus sham treatment in major depressive disorder. Brain Stimul. 2016;9(5):730-736. PubMed
- Rossi S, et al. Safety and recommendations for TMS use in healthy subjects and patient populations, with updates on training, ethical and regulatory issues: Expert guidelines. Clin Neurophysiol. 2021;132(1):269-306. PubMed
- Carpenter LL, Demitrack MA, et al. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for major depression: a multisite, naturalistic, observational study of acute treatment outcomes in clinical practice. Depress Anxiety. 2012;29(7):587-596. PubMed
- Somaa FA, et al. Transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of neurological diseases. Front Neurol. 2022;13:793253. PubMed
- Bhattacharya A, et al. An overview of noninvasive brain stimulation: basic principles and clinical applications. Can J Neurol Sci. 2021;49(4):479-492. PubMed
- Carmi L, Tendler A, Bystritsky A, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Prospective Multicenter Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial. Am J Psychiatry. 2019;176(11):931-938. PubMed
- Dunner DL, Aaronson ST, Sackeim HA, Demitrack MA, et al. A multisite, naturalistic, observational study of transcranial magnetic stimulation for patients with pharmacoresistant major depressive disorder: durability of benefit over a 1-year follow-up period. J Clin Psychiatry. 2014;75(12):1394-1401. PubMed
- Tendler A, Barnea Ygael N, Roth Y, Zangen A. Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (dTMS) — beyond depression. Expert Rev Med Devices. 2016;13(10):987-1000. PubMed
- Apostol MR, Valles TE, Corlier J, Leuchter MK, et al. Efficacy of 5×5 accelerated versus conventional repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for treatment-resistant depression. J Affect Disord. 2026;403:121345. PubMed
- Karri J, Marathe A, Smith TJ, Wang EJ. The use of Scrambler Therapy in treating chronic pain syndromes: a systematic review. Neuromodulation. 2023;26:1499-1509. PubMed
- Kapural L, Patel J, Rosenberg JC, et al. Safety and efficacy of Axon Therapy (SEAT Study), utilizing mPNS for treatment of neuropathic pain. J Pain Res. 2024;17:3167-3174. PubMed
- Smith TJ, Wang EJ, Loprinzi CL. Cutaneous electroanalgesia for relief of chronic and neuropathic pain. N Engl J Med. 2023. PubMed
- Kapural L, Patel J, Rosenberg JC, et al. Efficacy and safety of mPNS for treatment of neuropathic pain; one year follow up. J Pain Res. 2025;18:4471-4481. PubMed