Functional lesions of the motor system with TMS--a challenge for individual functional mapping

Applying functional lesions using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a powerful method for investigation of the functional relevance of a given activation site for motor performance in healthy individuals, and also for investigation of the temporal interactions of particular areas during movement preparation. In patients with good cognitive compliance, this procedure may be useful for detection of functional reorganisation or to plan individual therapy directions. Different protocols for applying functional lesions are presented here and their relevance and usage in different applications are explained.