Table 1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) [29] score between 20 and 26

Lack of knowledge of Spanish or Catalan

Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) [30] score of 3 or 4

Less than 4 years of schooling

Functional independence for basic daily life activities (part B of the Blessed Scale) [31] score equal to 0

Intellectual deficiency (Premorbid IQ, vocabulary, less than 85)

Rosen Ischemia Scale less or equal to 4 [32]

No controlled medical conditions or severe mental disorders that may affect the central nervous system, including signs of increased intracranial pressure or intracranial lesions

Able to read and write

Not controlled medical conditions that may cause emergencies or convulsions (e.g.: vascular risk, cardiac malformations or arrhythmias, asthma, etc.)

Stable medical and pharmacological condition during the 3 months immediately before the start of the study

Medical history of convulsions, previous diagnosis of epilepsy, previous registry of abnormal electroencephalogram (EEG) or family history of epilepsy

Computerized tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the 12 months prior to the selection, compatible with the diagnosis of probable AD in the subjects diagnosed

Severe hearing problems or ringing in the ears (tinnitus)

Absence of clinically significant anomalies in the medical history or clinical laboratory results during the selection

Severe loss of visual acuity

Screening analyses within normal range to detect and exclude other causes of dementia in the 12 months previous to selection. Laboratory values considered are as follows: complete blood count, thyroid hormones (TSH), T4, folic acid, vitamin B12, albumin, transaminase alanine (ALT), aminotransferase aspartate (AST), gamma-glutamic transferase (GGT), sodium, potassium, urea, creatinine, and glucose while fasting

Moderate or severe depression defined as a score > 11 in the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) [33]

Being treated by Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors

Presence of tremors or lack of motor control of the dominant upper limb

Willingness to undergo MRI scan

Being under pharmacological treatment with medications indicated in the security TMS guidelines [34]

Signed consent form, previously approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa

Drug or alcohol consumption or history of abuse in the 24 months prior to the study

Implants of metal pieces in the head (excluding dental implants)

Any of the following medical devices: pacemaker, implanted medication pumps, vagal nerve stimulators, deep cerebral stimulators, transcutaneous electrical stimulation units, ventriculo-peritoneal derivations, titanium plates, cochlear implants, aneurysm clips, etc.