Brain excitability in migraine: evidence from transcranial magnetic stimulation studies

Central neuronal hyperexcitability is proposed to be the putative basis for the physiologic disturbances in migraine. Because there are no structural disturbances in migraine, only physiologic studies can provide insight into the underlying mechanisms. Recently, transcranial magnetic stimulation has been developed as a valuable research tool and can be used to study brain function noninvasively. This article is a review of the studies done in migraine using transcranial magnetic stimulation.