/ Science
The Problem:
Regaining Movement after a Stroke
The Problem:
Regaining Movement
after a Stroke
Every year, 800,000 Americans experience a stroke. The impact of a stroke extends far beyond the initial medical emergency, dramatically altering a person's daily life. For approximately 40% of survivors, the aftermath includes long-term disabilities, particularly impaired arm and hand mobility. Some face additional challenges, including difficulty speaking, cognitive deficits, and depression.
Despite this profound and widespread need, current treatment options remain severely limited. Today, the only approved brain stimulation therapy designed to improve upper limb function requires invasive surgery — an approach that carries a high risk of complications and side effects.
Every year, 800,000 Americans experience a stroke. The impact of a stroke extends far beyond the initial medical emergency, dramatically altering a person's daily life. For approximately 40% of survivors, the aftermath includes long-term disabilities, particularly impaired arm and hand mobility. Some face additional challenges, including difficulty speaking, cognitive deficits, and depression.
Despite this profound and widespread need, current treatment options remain severely limited. Today, the only approved brain stimulation therapy designed to improve upper limb function requires invasive surgery — an approach that carries a high risk of complications and side effects.
Our Solution:
Introducing kTMP
Researchers at University of California, Berkeley have developed kTMP (kilohertz Transcranial Magnetic Perturbation), an innovative non-invasive technology designated as a Breakthrough Device for Chronic Stroke Recovery by the FDA. Our mission is to leverage this technology to deliver accessible, effective therapies, empowering millions of patients to regain their independence and quality of life.
kTMP is very different from existing non-invasive brain stimulation technologies currently on the market. Our unique approach is safeguarded by exclusive intellectual property (IP), including United States patent rights.
How it works
kTMP therapy is a completely non-invasive way to modulate brain activity. By placing specialized, hand-held coils gently on the head, the system delivers imperceptible but impactful magnetic waves into targeted brain areas.
Think of the brain as a symphony orchestra, where your neurons are the instruments. In a healthy brain, they play together in perfect rhythm. But sometimes, that rhythm falls out of sync. kTMP therapy acts as the conductor — the Maestro. It gently guides your neurons back into harmony, restoring your brain’s natural rhythm and helping to rebuild healthy, coordinated brain function.
No Surgery Required: kTMP safely achieves the stimulation intensity required for recovery, delivered entirely non-invasively from outside the head, eliminating the risks associated with surgical implants.
Personalized: The magnetic waves can be precisely calibrated to match the physiological activity the brain may needs to regain function.
Comfortable & Safe: The stimulation is so gentle that participants cannot distinguish between the actual stimulation and a placebo (sham). Rigorous data from over 400 study participants across the last four years demonstrates no difference in tolerability measures compared to sham stimulation. Underscoring its safety profile, kTMP is approved as a Non-Significant Risk Device by UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco.
Researchers at University of California, Berkeley have developed kTMP (kilohertz Transcranial Magnetic Perturbation), an innovative technology designated as a Breakthrough Device for Chronic Stroke Recovery by the FDA. Our mission is to leverage this technology to deliver accessible, effective therapies, empowering millions of patients to regain their independence and quality of life.
kTMP represents a fundamental shift from existing non-invasive brain stimulation technologies currently on the market. Our unique approach is safeguarded by exclusive intellectual property (IP), including United States patent rights.
How it works
kTMP therapy is a completely non-invasive way to modulate brain activity. By placing specialized, hand-held coils gently on the head, the system delivers imperceptible but impactful magnetic waves into targeted brain areas.
Think of the brain as a symphony orchestra, where your neurons are the instruments. In a healthy brain, they play together in perfect rhythm. But sometimes, that rhythm falls out of sync. kTMP therapy acts as the conductor. It gently guides your neurons back into harmony, restoring your brain’s natural rhythm and helping to rebuild healthy, coordinated brain function.
No Surgery Required: kTMP safely achieves the stimulation intensity thought to be necessary for recovery, delivered entirely non-invasively from outside the head, eliminating the risks associated with surgical implants.
Personalized: The magnetic waves can be precisely calibrated to match the physiological activity the brain may needs to regain function.
Comfortable & Safe: The stimulation is so gentle that participants cannot distinguish between the actual stimulation and a placebo (sham). Rigorous data from over 400 study participants across the last four years demonstrates no difference in tolerability measures compared to sham stimulation. Underscoring its safety profile, kTMP is designated as a Non-Significant Risk Device by UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco.
Our Solution:
Introducing kTMP
Researchers at University of California, Berkeley have developed kTMP (kilohertz Transcranial Magnetic Perturbation), an innovative technology designated as a Breakthrough Device for Chronic Stroke Recovery by the FDA. Our mission is to leverage this technology to deliver accessible, effective therapies, empowering millions of patients to regain their independence and quality of life.
kTMP represents a fundamental shift from existing non-invasive brain stimulation technologies currently on the market. Our unique approach is safeguarded by exclusive intellectual property (IP), including United States patent rights.
How it works
kTMP therapy is a completely non-invasive way to modulate brain activity. By placing specialized, hand-held coils gently on the head, the system delivers imperceptible but impactful magnetic waves into targeted brain areas.
Think of the brain as a symphony orchestra, where your neurons are the instruments. In a healthy brain, they play together in perfect rhythm. But sometimes, that rhythm falls out of sync. kTMP therapy acts as the conductor. It gently guides your neurons back into harmony, restoring your brain’s natural rhythm and helping to rebuild healthy, coordinated brain function.
No Surgery Required:
kTMP safely achieves the stimulation intensity thought to be necessary for recovery, delivered entirely non-invasively from outside the head, eliminating the risks associated with surgical implants.
Personalized:
The magnetic waves can be precisely calibrated to match the physiological activity the brain may needs to regain function.
Comfortable & Safe:
The stimulation is so gentle that participants cannot distinguish between the actual stimulation and a placebo (sham). Rigorous data from over 400 study participants across the last four years demonstrates no difference in tolerability measures compared to sham stimulation. Underscoring its safety profile, kTMP is designated as a Non-Significant Risk Device by UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco.
Promising clinical results
in the recovery from chronic stroke
We recently concluded an open-label pilot study evaluating kTMP as a treatment for chronic stroke. Following a four-week regimen of the kTMP Protocol for Stroke Recovery, the clinical outcomes were highly compelling:
Major Motor Improvements: Patients achieved an average 7-point increase on the Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity scale, the clinical gold standard for measuring arm and hand function.
Lasting Effects: The gains in motor skills were sustained, remaining evident 1 month after the therapy concluded.
Beating the Standard: The treatment demonstrated an outstanding safety profile. Throughout the pilot, not a single patient experienced adverse side effects or discomfort.
Bringing kTMP therapies to patients
Driven by these very promising pilot results, Magnetic Tides is advancing on an accelerated path to make this technology publicly available.
2025 – FDA Breakthrough Device Designation: The FDA formally recognized kTMP's potential to provide a more effective treatment for debilitating, life-altering conditions, paving the way for expedited development and review.
June 2026 – Pivotal Trial Launch: We are initiating a comprehensive Pivotal Trial for Chronic Stroke Recovery, led by Prof. Karunesh Ganguly at the University of California, San Francisco.
Promising clinical results
in the recovery from chronic stroke
We recently concluded an open-label pilot study evaluating kTMP as a treatment for chronic stroke. Following a four-week regimen of the kTMP Protocol for Stroke Recovery, the clinical outcomes were highly compelling:
Major Motor Improvements:
Patients achieved an average 7-point increase on the Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity scale, the clinical gold standard for measuring arm and hand function.
Lasting Effects:
The gains in motor skills were sustained, remaining evident 1 month after the therapy concluded.
Beating the Standard:
The treatment demonstrated an outstanding safety profile. Throughout the pilot, not a single patient experienced adverse side effects or discomfort.
Bringing kTMP therapies to patients
Driven by these very promising pilot results, Magnetic Tides is advanceing on an accelerated path to make this technology publicly available.
2025 – FDA Breakthrough Device Designation:
The FDA formally recognized kTMP's potential to provide a more effective treatment for debilitating, life-altering conditions, paving the way for expedited development and review.
June 2026 – Pivotal Trial Launch:
We are launching a Pivotal Trial for Chronic Stroke Recovery, led by Prof. Karunesh Ganguly at University of California, San Francisco.
Beyond Stroke: A Versatile Platform Technology
kTMP is more than a single treatment; it is a flexible platform technology with the potential to address a wide spectrum of neurological and psychiatric conditions. To unlock the full potential of kTMP, we are actively collaborating with leading research centers across the country. By expanding our clinical pipeline, we are currently working to bring this innovative therapy to patients living with:
Depression: In collaboration with Prof. Andrew Krystal (UC San Francisco)
Cerebellar Ataxia: In collaboration with Prof. Richard Ivry (UC Berkeley) and Prof. Angel Peterchev (Duke University)
Beyond Stroke: A Versatile Platform Technology
kTMP is a flexible platform technology with the potential to treat a wide range of neurological and psychiatric conditions. We collaborate with leading research centers across the country to expand the future of kTMP. Currently, we are working on using this technology to help patients suffering from:
Depression:
Prof. Andrew Krystal (UC San Francisco)
Cerebellar Ataxia:
Prof. Richard Ivry (UC Berkeley), Prof. Angel Peterchev (Duke University)
Read the Research
Please see the following papers and upcoming publications regarding kTMP:
kTMP effects on brain physiology:
Labruna, Merrick, et al. (2025)
(Magnetic Tides, UC Berkeley)kTMP is tolerable:
Merrick et al.
(Magnetic Tides, UC Berkeley, UCSF; submitted for publication)kTMP effects on learning:
Reber et al.
(Magnetic Tides, UC Berkeley; in preparation)kTMP in chronic stroke recovery:
Merrick et al.
(Magnetic Tides, UCSF; in preparation)
Read the Research
Please see the following papers and upcoming publications regarding kTMP:
kTMP effects on brain physiology:
Labruna, Merrick, et al. (2025)
kTMP is tolerable:
Merrick et al.
(Magnetic Tides, UC Berkeley, UCSF… - Submitted for publication, stay tuned)
kTMP effects on learning:
Reber et al.
(Magnetic Tides, UC Berkeley - In preparation, stay tuned)
kTMP in Chronic Stroke Recovery:
Merrick et al.
(Magnetic Tides, UCSF - In preparation, stay tuned)