Flexible Winged TMS Coil Assembly for Deeper Brain Stimulation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional TMS coils have a high rate of decay of magnetic and electric fields with distance, leading to low efficacy in stimulating deeper neuronal structures, and increasing the risk of seizures and physiological damage at higher intensities.
Innovation Solution
The design of TMS coils with flexible, butterfly-shaped configurations and winged-coil structures that can be adjusted to conform to the shape of the head, minimizing non-tangential components of the induced electric field and maximizing tangential components for deeper brain stimulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the intensity of the induced field is greatly increased to stimulate deeper neuronal structures, then the efficacy of deep brain stimulation is improved, but the risk for seizures and physiological damage to brain tissue increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by designing a coil structure where different segments have different orientations relative to the brain surface. The central segment is perpendicular to stimulate deep structures, while lateral segments are angled to minimize surface charge accumulation. This spatial differentiation of coil segment orientations allows localized optimization of field induction at different depths without uniformly increasing intensity across all regions, thereby improving deep brain stimulation efficacy while controlling seizure risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The coil is divided into multiple segments (central and lateral segments) with different geometric configurations. The central segment is oriented perpendicular to the brain surface for deep structure stimulation, while lateral segments are angled at specific angles (e.g., 45 degrees) to reduce surface charge effects. This segmentation allows the system to achieve deep brain stimulation without the harmful effects associated with uniformly high-intensity fields across the entire coil surface.
2Ease of operation
If conventional flat figure-8 coils are used, then the device complexity is low and ease of operation is high, but the rate of decay of magnetic and electric fields with distance is high, reducing efficacy for deeper neuronal structures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic adjustability to the coil structure, allowing the lateral segments to be positioned at different angles relative to the central segment. This dynamic configuration enables optimization of field penetration depth and distribution according to specific clinical needs, improving deep brain stimulation efficacy while maintaining operational simplicity through a single adjustable parameter (segment angle) rather than requiring completely complex multi-component systems.
3Reliability
If coil elements perpendicular to the brain surface are used, then deep brain stimulation is achieved, but electrostatic charge accumulation occurs leading to cancellation of the perpendicular component of the induced field
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the orientation of different coil segments. The central segment is positioned perpendicular to the brain surface to maximize field penetration to deep structures, while lateral segments are angled to minimize surface charge accumulation. This localized optimization at different spatial positions allows the system to achieve deep stimulation without the field cancellation problem that would occur if all segments were perpendicular.
Solution Approach 2:
The coil structure employs asymmetric orientation of its segments relative to the brain surface. Rather than using symmetric perpendicular orientation for all segments (which causes charge accumulation), the lateral segments are positioned at asymmetric angles (e.g., 45 degrees) while the central segment remains perpendicular. This asymmetric configuration breaks the symmetry that leads to charge cancellation, preserving the perpendicular field component's effectiveness for deep brain stimulation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances the intensity of the induced electric field in target brain regions, improving the efficacy of deep brain stimulation while minimizing side effects and ensuring the motor threshold and stimulation intensity are within acceptable ranges for most of the population.
Implementation Method 1
The pulses are administered by a stimulator configured to pass high electric currents through an electromagnetic coil externally placed on/near a head region of the patient, thereby inducing electrical currents in the underlying tissue and producing a localized axonal depolarization
Implementation Method 2
The design of TMS coils with flexible, butterfly-shaped configurations and winged-coil structures that can be adjusted to conform to the shape of the head, minimizing non-tangential components of the induced electric field and maximizing tangential components for deeper brain stimulation
Data Source
AI summary
A TMS coil assembly for magnetic stimulation of a brain region of a treated subject. The TMS coil assembly comprising one or more coil assemblies, each of which comprising adjacently located, or spaced-apart, flexible winged-coil structures configured to adjustably deform along a tilt axis passing between the winged-coil structures to apply a desired tilt angle between the winged-coil structures for them to conform to curved surfaces of a head of a treated subject and bring substantial loop portions of the winged-coil structures into direct contact with the curved surfaces of the head, to thereby maximize the loop portions that are tangential to the curved surfaces of the head and minimize the loops portion that are non-tangential to the curved surfaces. A fastening arrangement can be used to maintain the desired tilt angle between the winged-coil structures when placed on the head of the treated subject during a TMS procedure, to thereby maximize strength of electric field thereby induced into the head.