Intérêt de la stimulation magnétique transcrânienne dans la maladie d'Alzheimer Cognitive effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in Alzheimer disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. Specific medications have demonstrated a symptomatic effect on some cognitive and noncognitive symptoms, but these effects remain limited. In this context, other therapeutic fields have to be studied. Among those, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) could represent a new approach. Cognitive effects of rTMS in patients with depression and Parkinson's disease have been reported. A few studies have dealt specifically with the effects of rTMS on the cognitive ability of AD patients. These studies highlighted a positive effect of high-frequency rTMS applied on the right or left dorsolateral prefrontal cor- tex in patients with probable AD during a naming task of an image representing an action or an object. We present a review of major cognitive effects of rTMS and report the effects of the use of this noninvasive procedure (rTMS) on