REVIEW article
Front. Hum. Neurosci.
Sec. Brain Imaging and Stimulation
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2025.1601651
This article is part of the Research TopicMechanisms and Novel Therapeutic Targets and Approaches for Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Neurological and Cardiovascular DiseasesView all 4 articles
Exploring the Role of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Cognitive Impairment and Sarcopenia: A Narrative Review
Provisionally accepted
- The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, China
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Sarcopenia and cognitive impairment (CI) are major contributors to disability among the elderly, diminishing their quality of life and placing also a significant burden on healthcare systems and societies. There are currently no effective treatments for sarcopenia and CI. Interestingly, recent research has revealed a strong connection between these two conditions. Although the exact mechanisms of this relationship remain unclear, factors such as chronic inflammation, mitochondrial oxidative stress, and impaired communication through the muscle-brain axis have been put forward. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that can modulate neural plasticity and reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, demonstrating considerable potential for improving CI and motor function disorders. In this review, we summarize the relationship between sarcopenia and CI and discuss their shared mechanisms of action. In addition, we aim to provide new research insights and treatment directions by describing the physiopathological mechanisms modulated by TMS and its therapeutic potential for treating CI and sarcopenia.
Keywords: Sarcopenia, cognitive impairment, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Muscle-brain axis, Oxidative Stress, chronic inflammation
Received: 03 Apr 2025; Accepted: 16 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Li, Dong, Xu, Ai, Yang, Gai and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Xuesong Gai, The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, China
Li Li, The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, China
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