Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Boca Raton
Non-invasive brain stimulation, delivered inside a neurology practice.
Brain Health Includes How You Feel
Transcranial magnetic stimulation is FDA-cleared for the treatment of major depressive disorder. That is the cleared indication, and it is where the evidence is strongest.
Here is why a neurology practice offers it.
Mood is not separate from neurology. Depression is one of the most common symptoms people experience alongside Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and cognitive change. It affects sleep, motivation, memory, and how well someone participates in the rest of their care.
We are neurologists. We see patients whose depression is part of a neurologic picture, and patients for whom depression is the problem itself. In both cases, treatment options have been limited to medication and therapy, and for many people those options have not been enough.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation gives us another tool. It is not a replacement for medication or therapy. It is a third option, and for the right patient it can work when the first two have not.
The same technology, a wider field
The cleared indication is not where the research stops.
Focused magnetic stimulation is under active study in Alzheimer's disease, in Parkinson's disease, and in motor recovery after stroke. These are conditions we see in this clinic every week. A 52-week randomized, sham-controlled trial published in 2025 reported slower decline in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease who received stimulation of the precuneus, and a larger pivotal trial is being prepared.
That work is investigational, and we say so plainly. We also think patients should hear about it from a neurologist rather than from an advertisement. We lay out where each line of research stands in Where the Research Is Going below. If it is relevant to your situation, bring it to us and we will talk it through.
What Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Is
TMS uses focused magnetic pulses to stimulate a specific region of the brain involved in mood regulation. The pulses pass painlessly through the scalp and skull and generate small electrical currents in the targeted tissue. Over a course of treatment, this repeated stimulation is thought to change activity in the brain networks that regulate mood.
For depression, TMS has been in clinical use in the United States since 2008 and is supported by a substantial body of controlled trial evidence.
What TMS Is Not
Not surgery
Nothing is implanted. There are no incisions and no anesthesia.
Not ECT
TMS does not induce a seizure and does not require sedation. It does not cause the memory effects associated with electroconvulsive therapy.
Not sedating
You are awake and alert throughout. Most patients drive themselves to and from appointments and return to their day immediately.
Not systemic
TMS is targeted. It does not carry the weight gain, sexual side effects, or fatigue that lead many patients to stop taking antidepressants.
Who May Be a Candidate
TMS may be appropriate for adults with major depressive disorder who have not responded adequately to antidepressant medication, or who cannot tolerate the side effects of medication.
We evaluate candidacy individually. That evaluation includes your diagnosis, your treatment history, your other medical conditions, and a safety review.
If you are asking about TMS for a reason other than depression, we are glad to have that conversation as well. See Where the Research Is Going below.
We commonly see
- Patients with depression that has not improved after one or more medication trials
- Patients who have stopped antidepressants because of side effects
- Patients with depression occurring alongside a neurologic condition such as Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke, or traumatic brain injury
- Patients already under our care whose mood symptoms have become a limiting factor in their treatment
- Patients referred by a psychiatrist, primary care physician, or another neurologist
TMS is not appropriate for everyone. Metal implants in or near the head, certain implanted devices, and a history of seizures are among the factors we screen for before treatment. Your evaluation will cover this in detail.
What to Expect
Treatment happens in our Boca Raton office. You sit in a chair, awake, in ordinary clothes. A cushioned coil is positioned against your head. During the session you will hear a clicking sound and feel a tapping sensation on your scalp. Many patients read, listen to music, or talk with staff.
Your first visit is longer than the rest. Your physician maps the stimulation site and determines the correct energy level for you individually. Subsequent sessions are shorter and follow the same routine each time.
The most common side effect is scalp discomfort or a mild headache during the first several sessions, which typically fades as treatment continues.
Treatment is a course, not a single visit
Depression does not respond to one session. TMS is delivered as a series, and we reassess with you as we go rather than committing you to a fixed number of visits at the outset. How many sessions a given patient needs varies. We will tell you what we recommend, what we are seeing, and what your options are at each decision point.
Cost and Coverage
TMS at Thema Brain Health is private pay. We do not bill insurance for it.
We tell patients this before the first appointment, not after. You will know the full cost of the evaluation and the cost per session before you decide to begin, and there is no obligation at any point in that conversation.
If you would like the pricing details before scheduling, call us at (561) 918-0003 and we will walk you through it.
Where the Research Is Going
We are asked regularly whether TMS can help with memory, with movement, or with recovery after a stroke. These are fair questions with real research behind them, so here is where each one stands.
The FDA clearance for TMS covers major depressive disorder. The applications below are investigational, which means they are being studied in clinical trials rather than approved. We follow this work closely and we are willing to discuss any of it with a patient who wants to understand where it stands.
- Investigational
Alzheimer's disease
A 52-week randomized, sham-controlled Phase 2 trial published in 2025 studied stimulation of the precuneus, a region affected early in Alzheimer's disease, in 48 patients with mild to moderate disease. The treated group declined more slowly than the sham group on the trial's primary measure of disease progression, with differences also reported in cognition and daily function. The investigators have described preparations for a larger pivotal trial. This is an early result in a small study, and the pivotal trial is the next step, but it is among the more encouraging findings in non-pharmacologic Alzheimer's research.
- Investigational
Parkinson's disease
Multiple systematic reviews have examined rTMS for motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease. Results vary considerably depending on the stimulation target and protocol, and the field has not converged on a standard approach.
- Investigational
Stroke recovery
rTMS has been studied extensively for motor recovery after stroke, with meta-analyses reporting benefit on upper and lower limb function. Reviews in the stroke literature continue to debate how durable and clinically meaningful those effects are.
Bring Us the Question
Treatment decisions are made one patient at a time. A physician may recommend a treatment outside its cleared indication when, in that physician's clinical judgment, the individual patient in front of them stands to benefit. That judgment belongs in the exam room, with the evidence, the alternatives, and the uncertainties laid out honestly.
If you have read about TMS for something other than depression and want to know whether it makes sense for you, ask us. Our team will tell you what the evidence supports, what it does not yet support, and what we would recommend in your particular situation.
Depression is also recognized as one of the modifiable risk factors associated with dementia risk, which is part of why we take mood seriously in a neurology practice. Whether treating it with this specific tool changes cognitive trajectory is an open research question, and one we are interested in.
Cognitive neuromodulation is a field we expect to matter, and we intend for Thema to be part of it.
Information for Referring Physicians
We accept referrals for TMS evaluation from primary care physicians, psychiatrists, neurologists, and other treating clinicians.
Your patient will receive a full evaluation by our team, including a safety screen and a review of treatment history. We will communicate our recommendation back to you before treatment begins, and we will keep you updated through the course. Patients remain yours. We are providing a treatment modality, not assuming management of their care.
Please note that TMS at Thema is private pay. We disclose this to patients directly and we would ask that you set that expectation as well, so no one arrives surprised.
To refer a patient
- Fax
- 833-471-4789
- Phone
- (561) 918-0003
- Address
- 3998 FAU Boulevard, Suite 120
Boca Raton, FL
Frequently Asked Questions
Talk With Our Team
If you are considering TMS, the first step is a conversation. We will tell you whether we think it is a reasonable option for you, including if we think it is not.