The invention relates to a method for controlled modulation of physiological and pathological neuronal rhythmic activity in the brain by means of sensory stimulation, which is capable of diagnostically ascertaining functional disorders in the brain and of alleviating or eliminating the symptoms of a functional disruption. According to the invention, the method comprises generating a plurality of pulses at a plurality of excitation frequencies, respectively, to stimulate neuronal rhythmic activity in a patient's brain; measuring the neuronal rhythmic activity in response to the pulses; determining an excitation frequency in which the measured neuronal rhythmic activity has a maximum amplitude of pathological rhythm; generating an entraining periodic pulse sequence operating at the excitation frequency; and generating a desynchronization pulse following the entraining periodic pulse sequence to desynchronize the neuronal rhythmic activity, where the pulse are either visual or acoustic or tactile.