Objective To investigate the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the prospective memory impairment in the patients suffering from Alzheimer disease (AD). Methods A retrospective analysis was carried out on 60 AD patients with prospective memory impairment in the Nanchong Physical and Mental Hospital from December 2016 to June 2017. According to the treatment they got, the patients were divided into conventional treatment group (control) and the rTMS group. The patients of the control group were given oral administration of Kangfuchun Oral Liquid, while those of the rTMS group were given the same medication plus rTMS. The 2 groups of patients were treated for 4 weeks. Their cognitive function, daily living ability and serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels were observed before and after treatment, and the results were compared. SPSS statistics 11.5 was used to perform the statistical analysis. Student′s t test, analysis of variance, or Chi-square test was employed for comparison between the groups. Results Before treatment, there was no difference in cognitive function between the 2 groups (P>0.05). After treatment, the rTMS group had significantly better cognitive function in direction [(4.41±1.02) vs (3.56±0.95)scores], instantaneous memory [(4.78±1.25) vs (3.11±0.74)scores], attention and calculation [(3.97±1.12) vs (2.55±1.02)scores], short-term memory [(1.95±0.21) vs (1.32±0.13)scores], language [(5.68±1.98) vs (4.42±1.52)scores], and visual and spatial skills [(4.87±1.35) vs (3.58±1.12)scores], when compared with the treatment group (P<0.05), and such improvement was also seen in daily living ability [(97.25±8.91) vs (70.52±7.14)scores, P<0.05]. The serum levels of TNF-α [(18.48±2.68) vs(23.87±3.11)ng/L] and IL-6 [(7.03±1.03) vs (9.35±1.12)mg/L] were significantly lower in the rTMS group than in the control group (P<0.001). No headache, tinnitus or other adverse events were seen in the 2 groups of patients in the course of treatment. Conclusion rTMS shows good therapeutic effect on AD patients in improving the cognitive and memory function of the patients without adverse reactions.