Transcranial stimulation encompasses noninvasive methods that transmit physical fields-such as magnetic, electric, ultrasound, and light-to the brain to modulate its function. The most widespread approach, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), has emerged as an important tool in several areas of neuroscience as well as in clinical applications in psychiatry and neurology. Originally envisioned as a way to measure the responsiveness and conduction speed of neurons and synapses in the brain and spinal cord, TMS has also become an important tool for changing the activity of brain neurons and the functions they subserve as well as an causal adjunct to brain imaging and mapping techniques. Along with transcranial electrical stimulation techniques, TMS has diffused far beyond the borders of clinical neurophysiology and into cognitive, perceptual, behavioural, and therapeutic investigation and attracted a highly diverse group of users and would-be users. Another major success of TMS has been as a treatment in psychiatry, where it is now in routine use worldwide. The field of noninvasive neuromodulation has matured and diversified considerably in the past decade, with an expansion in the number of tools available and our understanding of their mechanisms of action.

This second edition of The Oxford Handbook of Transcranial Stimulation brings together the latest developments and important advances in all areas of Transcranial stimulation. The new volume captures the rapid progress made since the first edition, and provides an authoritative and comprehensive review of the state of the art. It also highlights challenges, opportunities, and future directions for this rapidly changing field. The book focuses on the scientific and technical background required to understand transcranial stimulation techniques and a wide-ranging survey of their burgeoning applications in neurophysiology, neuroscience, and therapy. Each of its six sections deals with a major area and is edited by an international authority therein. It will serve researchers, clinicians, students, and others as the definitive text in this area for years to come.