Where Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is headed to: The Modular Extended Magnetic Stimulator

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) already suffered, even though first presented in 1985, a technical stagnation. Even though applications of stimulation patterns were optimized for treatment and research objectives, the technical buildup of transcranial magnetic stimulators only advances in terms of a reduced energy consumption, but never concerning the aspect of adjustable pulse shapes. This paper reviews prior technical advances of magnetic stimulators and their medical applications. Moreover, a novel multilevel stimulator is presented and it is analyzed how it could finally overcome the restriction of predefined pulse shapes. Finally, it is discussed how freely selectable pulse shapes might fundamentally change the way TMS is applied.