scholarly journals Preprocessing General Head Models for BEM-FMM Modeling Pertinent to Brain Stimulation

Author(s):  
William A. Wartman

AbstractIntroduction: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a major noninvasive neurostimulation method in which a coil placed near the head employs electromagnetic induction to produce electric fields and currents within the brain. To predict the actual site of stimulation, numerical simulation of the electric fields within the head using high-resolution subject-specific head models is required. A TMS modeling software toolkit has been developed based on the boundary element fast multipole method (BEM-FMM), which has several advantages over conventional finite element method (FEM) solvers.Objective: To extend the applicability of the BEM-FMM TMS simulation toolkit to head models whose meshing scheme produces a single mesh for every unique tissue instead of producing a single mesh for every unique tissue/tissue boundary.Method: The MIDA model of the IT’IS Foundation, Switzerland, comprises 115 high-resolution tissue models in the form that the BEM-FMM toolkit is modified to accept. The updated BEM-FMM toolkit is tested using this head model.Results: The BEM-FMM toolkit has been successfully modified to accept head models consisting of one unique mesh per unique tissue while still supporting its initial model format of one unique mesh per boundary between two specific tissues. Performance impacts occur in the preprocessing phase only, meaning that the charge computation method performs equally well regardless of model format.

Author(s):  
Sergey N. Makarov ◽  
William A. Wartman ◽  
Mohammad Daneshzand ◽  
Kyoko Fujimoto ◽  
Tommi Raij ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundTranscranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is currently the only non-invasive neurostimulation modality that enables painless and safe supra-threshold stimulation by employing electromagnetic induction to efficiently penetrate the skull. Accurate, fast, and high resolution modeling of the electric fields (E-fields) may significantly improve individualized targeting and dosing of TMS and therefore enhance the efficiency of existing clinical protocols as well as help establish new application domains.ObjectiveTo present and disseminate our TMS modeling software toolkit, including several new algorithmic developments, and to apply this software to realistic TMS modeling scenarios given a high-resolution model of the human head including cortical geometry and an accurate coil model.MethodThe recently developed charge-based boundary element fast multipole method (BEM-FMM) is employed as an alternative to the 1st order finite element method (FEM) most commonly used today. The BEM-FMM approach provides high accuracy and unconstrained field resolution close to and across cortical interfaces. Here, the previously proposed BEM-FMM algorithm has been improved in several novel ways.Results and ConclusionsThe improvements resulted in a threefold increase in computational speed while maintaining the same solution accuracy. The computational code based on the MATLAB® platform is made available to all interested researchers, along with a coil model repository and examples to create custom coils, head model repository, and supporting documentation. The presented software toolkit may be useful for post-hoc analyses of navigated TMS data using high-resolution subject-specific head models as well as accurate and fast modeling for the purposes of TMS coil/hardware development.


Author(s):  
Sergey N. Makarov ◽  
Jyrki Ahveninen ◽  
Matti Hämäläinen ◽  
Yoshio Okada ◽  
Gregory M. Noetscher ◽  
...  

AbstractIn this study, the boundary element fast multipole method or BEM-FMM is applied to model compact clusters of tightly spaced pyramidal neocortical neurons firing simultaneously and coupled with a high-resolution macroscopic head model. The algorithm is capable of processing a very large number of surface-based unknowns along with a virtually unlimited number of elementary microscopic current dipole sources distributed within the neuronal arbor.The realistic cluster size may be as large as 10,000 individual neurons, while the overall computation times do not exceed several minutes on a standard server. Using this approach, we attempt to establish how well the conventional lumped-dipole model used in electroencephalography/magnetoencephalography (EEG/MEG) analysis approximates a compact cluster of realistic neurons situated either in a gyrus (EEG response dominance) or in a sulcus (MEG response dominance).


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey N Makarov ◽  
Matti Hämäläinen ◽  
Yoshio Okada ◽  
Gregory M Noetscher ◽  
Jyrki Ahveninen ◽  
...  

AbstractWe present a general numerical approach for solving the forward problem in high-resolution. This approach can be employed in the analysis of noninvasive electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) as well as invasive electrocorticography (ECoG), stereoencephalography (sEEG), and local field potential (LFP) recordings. The underlying algorithm is our recently developed boundary element fast multipole method (BEM-FMM) that simulates anatomically realistic head models with unprecedented numerical accuracy and speed. This is achieved by utilizing the adjoint double layer formulation and zeroth-order basis functions in conjunction with the FMM acceleration. We present the mathematical formalism in detail and validate the method by applying it to the canonical multilayer sphere problem. The numerical error of BEM-FMM is 2-10 times lower while the computational speed is 1.5–20 times faster than those of the standard first-order FEM. We present four practical case studies: (i) evaluation of the effect of a detailed head model on the accuracy of EEG/MEG forward solution; (ii) demonstration of the ability to accurately calculate the electric potential and the magnetic field in the immediate vicinity of the sources and conductivity boundaries; (iii) computation of the field of a spatially extended cortical equivalent dipole layer; and (iv) taking into account the effect a fontanel for infant EEG source modeling and comparison of the results with a commercially available FEM. In all cases, BEM-FMM provided versatile, fast, and accurate high-resolution modeling of the electromagnetic field and has the potential of becoming a standard tool for modeling both extracranial and intracranial electrophysiological signals.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takayoshi Moridera ◽  
Essam A. Rashed ◽  
Shogo Mizutani ◽  
Akimasa Hirata

Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a method to monitor electrophysiological activity on the scalp, which represents the macroscopic activity of the brain. However, it is challenging to identify EEG source regions inside the brain based on data measured by a scalp-attached network of electrodes. The accuracy of EEG source localization significantly depends on the type of head modeling and inverse problem solver. In this study, we adopted different models with a resolution of 0.5 mm to account for thin tissues/fluids, such as the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and dura. In particular, a spatially dependent conductivity (segmentation-free) model created using deep learning was developed and used for more realist representation of electrical conductivity. We then adopted a multi-grid-based finite-difference method (FDM) for forward problem analysis and a sparse-based algorithm to solve the inverse problem. This enabled us to perform efficient source localization using high-resolution model with a reasonable computational cost. Results indicated that the abrupt spatial change in conductivity, inherent in conventional segmentation-based head models, may trigger source localization error accumulation. The accurate modeling of the CSF, whose conductivity is the highest in the head, was an important factor affecting localization accuracy. Moreover, computational experiments with different noise levels and electrode setups demonstrate the robustness of the proposed method with segmentation-free head model.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. iii47-iii47
Author(s):  
A Kinzel ◽  
O Yesharim ◽  
A Naveh ◽  
Z Bomzon

Abstract BACKGROUND Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) use alternating electric fields for the treatment of solid tumors. The therapy is approved for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), and a phase III trial in 1–10 brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer (METIS) is currently enrolling patients. In GBM, the layout of the transducer arrays delivering the TTFields to the tumor is optimized for high field intensity in the tumor, while the dose in other regions is decreased. In the setting of secondary brain tumors, as they manifest as brain metastases in 10–30 % of adult cancer patients - especially in melanoma, lung, breast, colon, and kidney cancer - a high TTFields dose in the entire brain would be beneficial. Thus, numerous tumors instead of only one lesion should receive therapeutic TTFields doses. In this study, transducer array layouts aiming for a homogeneous TTFields distribution in the whole brain were investigated. MATERIAL AND METHODS We used computer simulations in a realistic computational head model of a 40+ years old man, constructed in-house from a T1 MRI series, to compute the field distributions obtained with various transducer array layouts. The distribution of TTFields delivered by pairs of transducer arrays at different positions on the head and neck was simulated using Sim4Life v3.0 (ZMT Zürich). For each layout, we determined and compared the mean and median field intensities in five pre-determined sections of the brain: (1) the cerebellum and brain stem together with other infra-tentorial anatomical regions; and (2–5) the four cerebral quadrants. RESULTS One array layout could be identified yielding median intensities between 1.5 V/cm to 1.7 V/cm in all areas and a homogeneous distribution within the brain. This layout is composed of one pair of arrays positioned on the right temple and left scapula, and the other pair positioned on the left temple and right scapula. CONCLUSION This study was able to determine a novel TTFields transducer array layout that might be used for treatment of the entire brain with therapeutic intensities, as would be beneficial in patients with brain metastases.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilherme B. Saturnino ◽  
Oula Puonti ◽  
Jesper D Nielsen ◽  
Daria Antonenko ◽  
Kristoffer Hougaard H Madsen ◽  
...  

Numerical simulation of the electric fields induced by Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation (NIBS), using realistic anatomical head models has gained interest in recent years for understanding the NIBS effects in individual subjects. Although automated tools for generating the head models and performing the electric field simulations have become available, individualized modelling is still not standard practice in NIBS studies. This is likely partly explained by the lack of robustness and usability of the previously available software tools, and partly by the still developing understanding of the link between physiological effects and electric field distributions in the brain. To facilitate individualized modelling in NIBS, we have introduced the SimNIBS (Simulation of NIBS) software package, providing easy-to-use automated tools for electric field modelling. In this article, we give an overview of the modelling pipeline in SimNIBS 2.1, with step-by-step examples of how to run a simulation. Furthermore, we demonstrate a set of scripts for extracting average electric fields for a group of subjects, and finally demonstrate the accuracy of automated placement of standard electrode montages on the head model. SimNIBS 2.1 is freely available at www.simnibs.org.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yung-Shin Sun

Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) in combination with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy have been clinically reported to provide prolonged overall survival in glioblastoma patients. Alternating electric fields with frequencies of 100~300 kHz and magnitudes of 1~3 V/cm are shown to suppress the growth of cancer cells via interactions with polar molecules within dividing cells. Since it is difficult to directly measure the electric fields inside the brain, simulation models of the human head provide a useful tool for predicting the electric field distribution. In the present study, a three-dimensional finite element head model consisting of the scalp, the skull, the dura, the cerebrospinal fluid, and the brain was built to study the electric field distribution under various applied potentials and electrode configurations. For simplicity, a direct-current electric field was used in the simulation. The total power dissipation and temperature elevation due to Joule heating in different head tissues were also evaluated. Based on the results, some guidelines are obtained in designing the electrode configuration for personalized glioblastoma electrotherapy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin L. Pall

Abstract Millimeter wave (MM-wave) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are predicted to not produce penetrating effects in the body. The electric but not magnetic part of MM-EMFs are almost completely absorbed within the outer 1 mm of the body. Rodents are reported to have penetrating MM-wave impacts on the brain, the myocardium, liver, kidney and bone marrow. MM-waves produce electromagnetic sensitivity-like changes in rodent, frog and skate tissues. In humans, MM-waves have penetrating effects including impacts on the brain, producing EEG changes and other neurological/neuropsychiatric changes, increases in apparent electromagnetic hypersensitivity and produce changes on ulcers and cardiac activity. This review focuses on several issues required to understand penetrating effects of MM-waves and microwaves: 1. Electronically generated EMFs are coherent, producing much higher electrical and magnetic forces then do natural incoherent EMFs. 2. The fixed relationship between electrical and magnetic fields found in EMFs in a vacuum or highly permeable medium such as air, predicted by Maxwell’s equations, breaks down in other materials. Specifically, MM-wave electrical fields are almost completely absorbed in the outer 1 mm of the body due to the high dielectric constant of biological aqueous phases. However, the magnetic fields are very highly penetrating. 3. Time-varying magnetic fields have central roles in producing highly penetrating effects. The primary mechanism of EMF action is voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) activation with the EMFs acting via their forces on the voltage sensor, rather than by depolarization of the plasma membrane. Two distinct mechanisms, an indirect and a direct mechanism, are consistent with and predicted by the physics, to explain penetrating MM-wave VGCC activation via the voltage sensor. Time-varying coherent magnetic fields, as predicted by the Maxwell–Faraday version of Faraday’s law of induction, can put forces on ions dissolved in aqueous phases deep within the body, regenerating coherent electric fields which activate the VGCC voltage sensor. In addition, time-varying magnetic fields can directly put forces on the 20 charges in the VGCC voltage sensor. There are three very important findings here which are rarely recognized in the EMF scientific literature: coherence of electronically generated EMFs; the key role of time-varying magnetic fields in generating highly penetrating effects; the key role of both modulating and pure EMF pulses in greatly increasing very short term high level time-variation of magnetic and electric fields. It is probable that genuine safety guidelines must keep nanosecond timescale-variation of coherent electric and magnetic fields below some maximum level in order to produce genuine safety. These findings have important implications with regard to 5G radiation.


2003 ◽  
Vol 76 (909) ◽  
pp. 631-637 ◽  
Author(s):  
E De Vita ◽  
D L Thomas ◽  
S Roberts ◽  
H G Parkes ◽  
R Turner ◽  
...  

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