Abstract

 

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive technique used for neuroscience research and treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders. During TMS, a current-carrying coil placed on the scalp induces an electric field that modulates targeted neuronal circuits. Computational simulations of the electric field (E-field) induced by TMS are increasingly used to gain a mechanistic understanding of the effect of TMS on the brain and to inform its administration. However, these computational frameworks neglect the many inherent contingencies of the TMS setup. These inherent contingencies oftentimes result in an E-field that is different from the one realized in practice.

 

To ensure safe and effective use of computational simulation results, we are developing a new variation aware computational E-field solver that predicts the expected value of the electric field, as well as confidence intervals indicating potential variability in the actual E-field dose delivered. Our framework leverages fast-methods enabling its use for determining population level optimum coil placements for targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in depression treatments. For example, the predicted optimum coil placement across individuals corroborates recent studies indicating that the clinically prescribed coil placement is suboptimal. Our framework also enables the computation of individualized optimum coil placements while considering limitations in the precision and accuracy of the TMS coil positioning protocol and possible segmentation errors.

 

Finally, I will briefly describe other ongoing efforts in my lab including designing and fabricating focal TMS coils, and novel conductivity measurement techniques.

 

Bio

 

Dr. Luis Gomez, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University. Prior to Purdue, Dr. Gomez was a postdoctoral associate at the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical School. His research interests are primarily in computational electromagnetism, with a focus on wave propagation in highly heterogenous materials, volume integration equations, electromagnetic imaging and optimization, and uncertainty quantification of brain stimulation modalities. Dr. Gomez received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering and his M.S. in electrical engineering and applied math from the University of

Michigan.

 

Host

 

Sumeet Kumar Gupta, guptask@purdue.edu