Data and code from: A meta-analysis suggests that TMS targeting the hippocampal network selectively improves episodic memory

Episodic memory is critically dependent on the hippocampal network and is
frequently impaired in many clinical disorders. Recent findings highlight
Hippocampal Indirectly Targeted Stimulation (HITS) as a promising,
noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) procedure to enhance
episodic memory performance. Here, we report the first comprehensive
meta-analysis of HITS effects on episodic memory, encompassing both
healthy individuals and clinical populations. HITS robustly improved
episodic memory, with effects selective for episodic memory versus other
non-memory cognitive domains. Efficacy was significantly greater when
memory performance was assessed using memory tasks sensitive to
recollection, which is strongly linked to hippocampal network function,
compared to recognition or other types of episodic memory tasks. Efficacy
was also significantly greater when HITS was delivered before the memory
tasks were administered, versus in the period between the study and test
phases of tasks. No serious adverse events were reported. These findings
establish HITS as a robust approach for episodic memory enhancement,
suggesting potential for clinical translation in memory disorders.
Selectivity of effects for episodic memory generally and for
recollection-format tests in particular indicates cognitive and
mechanistic specificity, supporting the potential for targeted and
selective neuromodulation of hippocampal networks and their associated
functions.