TMS improves memory In the past, TMS has had very limited use and has only been used to temporarily alter brain function to improve performance on tests, such as subjects pressing buttons at a slightly faster rate after the brain has been stimulated. This study shows that TMS can be used to better improve memory, with effectiveness extending up to 24 hours after current stimulation. Discovering the Most Effective Points Direct stimulation of the hippocampus using TMS is not possible because the hippocampus is located deep in the brain where magnetic fields cannot penetrate. So, using MRI scans, Voss and colleagues identified a surface brain region just a few centimeters from the skull that had a high degree of connectivity to the hippocampus. Vos wanted to find out if stimulating this layer directly could then stimulate the hippocampus. The answer turned out to be yes. When TMS was applied to stimulate this superficial layer, the brain regions involved in the hippocampus all became synchronized with each other, as confirmed by the subjects’ MRI data, which records blood flow in the brain, which can be used as an indirect measure of neural activity. The more regional cooperation in the brain that results from electrical current stimulation, the greater the ability of people to learn new things.