SHORT-TERM-MEMORY - NO EVIDENCE OF EFFECT OF RAPID-REPETITIVE TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION IN HEALTHY-INDIVIDUALS

The effect of rapid-repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rr-T MS) on the immediate verbal and visuospatial memory span was assessed by computerized neuropsychological testing in 11 healthy volunteers. T he objective was to test whether rr-TMS may be utilized as a non-invas ive tool for evaluation of memory function. The subjects had to memori ze series of numbers (Digit-Span test) or the position of cubes (Corsi -Block test) shown to them on a computer screen and actively reproduce them immediately after the presentation. Synchronous with the appeara nce of each item an rr-TMS train of 550 ms duration was delivered to t he left or right anterolateral parietal as well as superior and poster ior lateral temporal region at 50 Hz and with approximately 1.0 T stim ulation intensity. Statistical comparison of memory performance during rr-TMS and baseline testings without stimulation revealed no signific ant changes. No adverse effects were observed. Thus, rr-TMS does not a ffect short-term memory performance in healthy individuals under the s timulation conditions described above.