Magnetic Coils Design for Focal Stimulation of the Nervous System

Abstract

The technique of magnetic stimulation of nerve fibres represents a new direction of research in modern medicine. This study starts from a major limitation of the coils used for magnetic stimulation: their inability to specifically stimulate the target tissue, without activating the surrounding areas. The first goal of this study was to determine the optimal configuration of coils for some specific applications and evaluate the distribution of the electric field induced. Once the coil configuration established, we address other issues that need to be solved: achieving smaller coils, reducing power consumption (the low efficiency of power transfer from the coil to the tissue is a major drawback) and reducing coil heating.