How Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Rewires Your Brain

When your car’s electrical system is glitchy, it sputters and stalls. Your brain does the same thing when the neural pathways become altered or disconnected. When the region of your brain that controls mood and emotion glitches, depression results.

Medication and talk therapy can do wonders for depression, but everyone responds differently. If your depression symptoms seem to defy these traditional measures, you still have options.

Dr. Karen Giles and Dr. Cecilia Kwong at Atlanta-based Breakthru Psychiatric Solutions use transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), an advanced, noninvasive therapy, to address treatment-resistant depression with a unique approach.

Here, we explain the science behind TMS and how it rewires your brain for better mental health.

What depression does to your brain

Before we discuss how TMS rewires your brain, it’s important to know what happens when you experience depressive symptoms.

Depression disrupts communication between your brain’s regions, particularly in areas like the prefrontal cortex, responsible for decision-making and mood regulation. This area often shows reduced activity in people struggling with depression.

Periods of prolonged depression can suppress your brain’s neuroplasticity — its ability to adapt and form new connections. Over time, this repetitive impact causes negative thought patterns to become ingrained, making it harder for your brain to “break out” of specific emotional states.

TMS directly targets these impacted brain areas to restore balance and improve neuroplasticity.

How TMS stimulates brain activity

During a TMS treatment, we place an electromagnetic coil on your scalp near the prefrontal cortex. The device emits magnetic pulses that pass through your skull and into your brain tissue without causing discomfort. These magnetic pulses stimulate neural activity, jump-starting neurons that may be inactive or underperforming.

Specifically, TMS boosts the electrical activity in your dorsolateral prefrontal cortex — the brain region implicated in emotional regulation. After several sessions, this stimulation helps normalize your brain’s activity by strengthening the prefrontal cortex and improving its connection to other brain regions.

TMS and neuroplasticity

We mentioned that TMS enhances neuroplasticity, but it deserves a closer look.

When depression limits your brain’s ability to adapt, TMS reintroduces flexibility, allowing your brain to adopt healthier emotional and behavioral responses over time. Essentially, TMS gives your brain the tools to “rewire” itself.

TMS’s targeted stimulation helps your brain form new synaptic connections, pathways that facilitate communication between neurons.

This process is crucial for breaking long-standing negative patterns.

How long does it take to see results?

Patients typically report symptom improvement by week 4 of TMS treatment. TMS is teaching the circuitry of the brain how to function properly and this functionality is reinforced through repetition so results are cumulative. Results vary from person to person, with the full benefits often emerging after completing the standard treatment course of 36 sessions.

Regular stimulation builds upon each prior session, reinforcing new neural connections and increasing brain activity in previously dormant areas. Throughout therapy, you may notice improvements in mood, focus, and overall resilience to stress.

Is TMS right for you?

TMS isn’t a first-line approach. Drs. Giles and Kwong reserve TMS for those patients who have exhausted traditional treatments such as therapy and medication but gained little or no relief.

You may be a potential candidate for TMS if you:

Do not have metal implants above the waist
Do not have epilepsy or active psychosis
Do not have any known structural abnormalities in the brain

If you opt for TMS, you can expect several benefits, including minimal side effects. At most, you may have a slight temporary headache or minor scalp discomfort following your treatment.

Because TMS is a noninvasive and drug-free option, you can maintain your normal routine without the disruptions that come with more invasive treatments or the adjustment period for medication.

We also offer accelerated TMS, which allows you to undergo treatment sessions hours apart, reducing your treatment duration from nine weeks to two weeks. Here’s a closer look at how standard TMS and accelerated TMS compare.

To learn more about TMS, call Breakthru Psychiatric Solutions in Sandy Springs or Alpharetta, Georgia, or request an appointment online.