Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique that is able to generate causal-based interferences between brain networks and cognitive or behavioral responses. It has been used to improve cognition in several disease models. However, although its exploration in healthy animals is essential to attribute its pure effect in learning and memory processes, studies in this regard are scarce. We aimed to evaluate whether rTMS leads to memory facilitation in healthy rats, and to explore the brain-related oxidative metabolism. We stimulated healthy Wistar rats with a high-frequency (100 Hz) and low-intensity (0.33 T) protocol during three consecutive days and evaluated the effect on the performance of an allocentric spatial reference learning and memory task. Following the last day of learning, we assessed oxidative brain metabolism through quantitative cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) histochemistry. The results showed that rTMS did not improve spatial memory in healthy rats, but the behavioral outcome was accompanied by a CCO reduction in the prefrontal, retrosplenial, parietal, and rhinal cortices, as well as in the striatum, amygdala, septum, mammillary bodies, and the hippocampus, reflecting a lower metabolic activity. In conclusion, rTMS induces a highly efficient use of brain regions associated with spatial memory.

重复经颅磁刺激 (rTMS) 是一种非侵入性神经调节技术，能够在大脑网络与认知或行为反应之间产生基于因果关系的干扰。它已被用于改善几种疾病模型中的认知。然而，尽管它在健康动物中的探索对于将其归因于学习和记忆过程的纯粹影响至关重要，但这方面的研究很少。我们旨在评估 rTMS 是否会促进健康大鼠的记忆，并探索大脑相关的氧化代谢。我们在连续三天内用高频 (100 Hz) 和低强度 (0.33 T) 方案刺激健康的 Wistar 大鼠，并评估对异中心空间参考学习和记忆任务性能的影响。在最后一天的学习之后，c氧化酶（CCO）组织化学。结果表明，rTMS 并未改善健康大鼠的空间记忆，但行为结果伴随着前额叶、脾后、顶叶和鼻皮质以及纹状体、杏仁核、隔膜、乳头体、和海马体，反映了较低的代谢活动。总之，rTMS 诱导高效使用与空间记忆相关的大脑区域。