This paper reviews the current role of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in epilepsy research. After a brief introduction to the technical principles, the physiology and the safety aspects of TMS, emphasis is put on how human cortex excitability can be assessed by TMS and how this may improve our understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms in epilepsy and the mode of action of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Also, potential therapeutical applications of TMS are reviewed. For all aspects of this paper, a clear distinction was made between single-/paired-pulse TMS and repetitive TMS, since these two techniques have fundamentally different scopes and applications.