Photo by Jeff Bowen

(01/21/2026) VA researchers in Providence, Rhode Island, and Palo Alto, California, showed three different types of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can be effective treatments for PTSD. The researchers analyzed clinical outcomes from 756 Veterans with PTSD and depression who received either 10 Hz TMS, left prefrontal intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), or deep TMS. All three TMS protocols produced significant treatment response rates, with nearly half of the Veterans achieving remission from PTSD. TMS is an FDA-approved therapy that uses magnetic fields to noninvasively stimulate nerve cells in the brain, with the three different protocols targeting different parts of the brain and using different intensities. While previous research has suggested TMS is effective for PTSD, this is the first study large enough to show statistically significant benefits for all three protocols. (Brain Stimulation, January-February 2026)