Abstract: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive technique that can activate cortical motor areas and the corticospinal tract without causing the subject discomfort. Since TMS was introduced, numerous applications of this technique have been developed for the evaluation of neurologic diseases. They allow the evaluation of cortex excitability and motor conduction in the central nervous system and have been proved useful in monitoring motor abnormalities and the recovery of motor function. TMS also gives informations on the pathophysiology of the processes underlying the various clinical conditions and contribute to investigate the mechanisms of diseases. In addition, therapeutic use in depression, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, spinal cord injury and stroke has raised great interest over the past decade. Theapplication of TMS has great potential both as an investigational and as a therapeutical tool in neurology and psychiatry. However, as an infant techniology, there should be further investigation and large randomized trials to be conducted.

Key words: transcranial magnetic stimulation, motor evoked potentials, corticolspinal tract conduction, treatment, review