TMS produces suprathreshold stimulation: it can take a neuron from its (passive) resting potential to spike threshold, all by itself. The numbers you give are c

TMS produces suprathreshold stimulation: it can take a neuron from its (passive) resting potential to spike threshold, all by itself. The numbers you give are correct for that. Weaker stimulation can't do that, but subthreshold stimulation can "nudge" the timing of spikes. In a living brain, neurons are constantly bombarded with synaptic input, and therefore sit closer to spike threshold and occasionally spike. Weak stimulation can therefore cause them to fire a bit sooner or later than they otherwise would. Since information is carried not just by the overall amount of firing, but also the spatiotemporal structure of that activity, these subthreshold changes can lead to overt changes in behavior. The recurrent nature of the brain can also amplify these effects. I know this because I've literally measured it in macaques and found that fields well below 1 V/m (produced by ±2 mA 5-40 Hz AC on the scalp) are enough to reorganize spike trains. Here's one of our papers: http://packlab.mcgill.ca/Krause%20et%20al%202019.pdf http://packlab.mcgill.ca/Krause%20et%20al%202019.pdf FWIW, I was surprised by these results--and deeply relieved when they replicated!