Uncovering brain dynamics following transcranial magnetic stimulation

This thesis develops and optimizes transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) methods to uncover brain function. First, it examines the major challenges facing the most popular TMS techniques, which hamper reliable assessment of cortical mechanisms. Second, it introduces effective solutions to overcome each issue and demonstrates how the improved techniques provide more reliable measures of cortical responses to TMS. Third, it exploits the improved and validated methods to study physiological information contained in cortical potentials evoked by TMS. The findings have important implications for understanding brain function and will extend the applicability of TMS in research and clinical contexts.