Does TMS affect memory?

Short answer: no. This is one of the most common fears people bring to TMS, and it usually comes from confusing TMS with ECT (electroconvulsive therapy). They're very different treatments — ECT passes an electrical current through the brain under anesthesia and can cause real short-term memory problems. TMS uses magnetic pulses while you're fully awake, with no current passing through your brain and no seizure induced as part of treatment. A 2023 meta-analysis in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry reviewed 15 studies measuring cognitive function before and after TMS. It found no decline in memory, attention, or executive function — and some studies even showed slight improvements in verbal fluency and working memory. The likely explanation: depression itself causes real cognitive impairment, the "brain fog" so many people describe, and treating the depression often lifts that fog along with the mood symptoms. What TMS actually causes: scalp discomfort during treatment, mild headache afterward, and a tingling or tapping sensation at the treatment site. That's the real list. No personality changes, no cognitive dulling. Worth disclosing to your provider regardless: epilepsy or a seizure disorder, metal implants near your head (cochlear implants, aneurysm clips), and active substance use — these are real screening factors, just not memory-related ones. https://tmslist.com/blog/does-tms-cause-memory-loss/ Was memory loss one of your worries going in? Did anyone confuse your TMS course with ECT when you told them about it? This is general information, not medical advice.