An evoked auditory response fMRI study of the effects of rTMS on putative AVH pathways in healthy volunteers

rTMS does cause local inhibitory effects, not only in the underlying region of application, but also in functionally connected cortical regions. However, there is also a related, task dependent, increase in activation within selected cortical areas in the contralateral hemisphere; these are likely to reflect compensatory mechanisms, and such cortical activation may in some cases contribute to, or retard, some of the therapeutic effects seen with rTMS.