Language mapping is also commonly performed, although nTMS language maps are not as highly concordant with direct intraoperative cortical stimulation maps as nTMS motor maps. Motor mapping is the best validated application of nTMS, yielding reliable maps with an accuracy similar to intraoperative cortical mapping.
Navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS) is one modality that allows for highly accurate, image-guided, non-invasive stimulation of the brain, thus allowing for differentiation between eloquent and non-eloquent cortical regions.
In patients undergoing surgery for brain tumors, preoperative mapping allows for improved operative planning, patient risk stratification, and personalized preoperative patient counseling. Preoperative mapping of cortical structures prior to neurosurgical intervention can provide a roadmap of the brain with which neurosurgeons can navigate critical cortical structures.
