At the Brain Stimulation Lab of the Donders Institute researchers use techniques such as TMS & TACs. With those techniques the brain can be stimulated with small, directed magnetic impulses. This technique is used to study the mechanisms of the brain.
Instead of just measuring, researchers are able to influence the functioning of the brain this way. For example, subjects are instructed to name images on a screen. If the researchers stimulate the language area of the brain, it becomes more difficult to answer correctly. This 'failure' offers opportunities to study what is happening in the brain at while naming images. The technique is also valuable in testing conclusions from other studies.
