Modeling TMS-induced I-waves in human motor cortex

Despite many years of research, it is still unknown how exactly transcranial magnetic stimulation activates cortical circuits. A recent computational model by Rusu et al. (2014) has attempted to shed light on potential underlying mechanisms and has successfully explained key experimental findings on I-wave physiology. Here, we critically discuss this model, point out some of its shortcomings, and suggest a number of extensions that may be necessary for it to capture additional existing and emerging data on the physiology of I-waves.