Design of coil holder for the improved maneuvering in concurrent TMS-MRI

Brain Stimul. 2023 May-Jun;16(3):966-968. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2023.06.001. Epub 2023 Jun 2.

Abstract

Background: Concurrent transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is time-consuming because of the limited space in the MRI bore and the sophisticated placement and orientation of the TMS coil to elicit the desired brain activities and behaviors.

Objective: We developed a TMS coil holder capable of quick adjustment of the TMS coil position and orientation. The holder can also hold an MRI receiver coil array.

Methods: A holder with one controlling knob, two omni-direction rotation joints, and two in-plane rotation joints was developed.

Results: Different TMS coil positions and orientations can be arranged and fixed in seconds. The holder can also accommodate two TMS coils to allow for multi-coil TMS-MRI.

Conclusion: Our development significantly improves the workflow of the concurrent TMS-MRI in new neuroscience studies and clinical applications.

Keywords: Coil; Concurrent; Fixture; Holder; Multimodal; Simultaneous; TMS-MRI; TMS-fMRI.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Brain / diagnostic imaging
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging* / methods
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation* / methods

Grants and funding