Design, construction, and deployment of a multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation system for clinical use
Abstract Background Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an established method for noninvasive brain stimulation, used for investigating and treating brain disorders. Recently, multi-locus TMS (mTMS) has expanded the capabilities of TMS by employing an array of overlapping stimulation coils, e...
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BMC
2025-05-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12938-025-01393-6 |
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| author | Heikki Sinisalo Olli-Pekka Kahilakoski Victor H. Souza Jaakko O. Nieminen Robin Rantala Timo Tommila Isabel Usuga Mikael Laine Oskari Ahola Eva Gallegos Gábor Kozák David Emanuel Vetter Ilkka Rissanen Andreas Jooß Renan Matsuda Ana M. Soto Dezhou Li Dania Humaidan Matti Stenroos Timo Roine Dubravko Kičić Ulf Ziemann Risto J. Ilmoniemi |
| author_facet | Heikki Sinisalo Olli-Pekka Kahilakoski Victor H. Souza Jaakko O. Nieminen Robin Rantala Timo Tommila Isabel Usuga Mikael Laine Oskari Ahola Eva Gallegos Gábor Kozák David Emanuel Vetter Ilkka Rissanen Andreas Jooß Renan Matsuda Ana M. Soto Dezhou Li Dania Humaidan Matti Stenroos Timo Roine Dubravko Kičić Ulf Ziemann Risto J. Ilmoniemi |
| author_sort | Heikki Sinisalo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an established method for noninvasive brain stimulation, used for investigating and treating brain disorders. Recently, multi-locus TMS (mTMS) has expanded the capabilities of TMS by employing an array of overlapping stimulation coils, enabling delivery of stimulation pulses at different cortical locations without physical coil movement. We aimed to design, construct, and deploy an mTMS device and a five-coil array for clinical environment, emphasizing safety of the system. Methods Our mTMS device is controlled by a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The power electronics comprises five stimulation channels, each consisting of a high-voltage capacitor connected to a pulse circuit, controlling a single coil in the array. The device contains custom-designed circuit boards, with functions such as monitoring the system state, reporting errors, and delivering pulses. Our design utilizes redundancy in both hardware and firmware to ensure robust operation and safety. We performed an automated motor mapping test to verify the electronic targeting capabilities of the device. Results We constructed the mTMS device and deployed it to the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research (Tübingen, Germany). Compared to our earlier prototype, the new design improves patient and operator safety. The motor mapping test confirmed that our device can accurately target stimulation pulses in the cortex. Significance mTMS or other similar technologies are currently not available for hospital use. The present device and its installation are major steps toward establishing multicoil TMS as an accessible clinical tool for investigation and treatment of the brain. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-971032f8610744709d62d6abd09d86e9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1475-925X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
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| series | BioMedical Engineering OnLine |
| spelling | doaj-art-971032f8610744709d62d6abd09d86e92025-08-20T03:53:58ZengBMCBioMedical Engineering OnLine1475-925X2025-05-0124112210.1186/s12938-025-01393-6Design, construction, and deployment of a multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation system for clinical useHeikki Sinisalo0Olli-Pekka Kahilakoski1Victor H. Souza2Jaakko O. Nieminen3Robin Rantala4Timo Tommila5Isabel Usuga6Mikael Laine7Oskari Ahola8Eva Gallegos9Gábor Kozák10David Emanuel Vetter11Ilkka Rissanen12Andreas Jooß13Renan Matsuda14Ana M. Soto15Dezhou Li16Dania Humaidan17Matti Stenroos18Timo Roine19Dubravko Kičić20Ulf Ziemann21Risto J. Ilmoniemi22Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of ScienceDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of ScienceDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of ScienceDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of ScienceDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of ScienceDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of ScienceDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of ScienceDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of ScienceDepartment of Neurology & Stroke, University of TübingenDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of ScienceDepartment of Neurology & Stroke, University of TübingenDepartment of Neurology & Stroke, University of TübingenDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of ScienceDepartment of Neurology & Stroke, University of TübingenDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of ScienceDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of ScienceDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of ScienceDepartment of Neurology & Stroke, University of TübingenDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of ScienceDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of ScienceDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of ScienceDepartment of Neurology & Stroke, University of TübingenDepartment of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of ScienceAbstract Background Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an established method for noninvasive brain stimulation, used for investigating and treating brain disorders. Recently, multi-locus TMS (mTMS) has expanded the capabilities of TMS by employing an array of overlapping stimulation coils, enabling delivery of stimulation pulses at different cortical locations without physical coil movement. We aimed to design, construct, and deploy an mTMS device and a five-coil array for clinical environment, emphasizing safety of the system. Methods Our mTMS device is controlled by a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The power electronics comprises five stimulation channels, each consisting of a high-voltage capacitor connected to a pulse circuit, controlling a single coil in the array. The device contains custom-designed circuit boards, with functions such as monitoring the system state, reporting errors, and delivering pulses. Our design utilizes redundancy in both hardware and firmware to ensure robust operation and safety. We performed an automated motor mapping test to verify the electronic targeting capabilities of the device. Results We constructed the mTMS device and deployed it to the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research (Tübingen, Germany). Compared to our earlier prototype, the new design improves patient and operator safety. The motor mapping test confirmed that our device can accurately target stimulation pulses in the cortex. Significance mTMS or other similar technologies are currently not available for hospital use. The present device and its installation are major steps toward establishing multicoil TMS as an accessible clinical tool for investigation and treatment of the brain.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12938-025-01393-6Transcranial magnetic stimulationmTMSFunctional imagingMotor mappingPatient safety |
| spellingShingle | Heikki Sinisalo Olli-Pekka Kahilakoski Victor H. Souza Jaakko O. Nieminen Robin Rantala Timo Tommila Isabel Usuga Mikael Laine Oskari Ahola Eva Gallegos Gábor Kozák David Emanuel Vetter Ilkka Rissanen Andreas Jooß Renan Matsuda Ana M. Soto Dezhou Li Dania Humaidan Matti Stenroos Timo Roine Dubravko Kičić Ulf Ziemann Risto J. Ilmoniemi Design, construction, and deployment of a multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation system for clinical use BioMedical Engineering OnLine Transcranial magnetic stimulation mTMS Functional imaging Motor mapping Patient safety |
| title | Design, construction, and deployment of a multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation system for clinical use |
| title_full | Design, construction, and deployment of a multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation system for clinical use |
| title_fullStr | Design, construction, and deployment of a multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation system for clinical use |
| title_full_unstemmed | Design, construction, and deployment of a multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation system for clinical use |
| title_short | Design, construction, and deployment of a multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation system for clinical use |
| title_sort | design construction and deployment of a multi locus transcranial magnetic stimulation system for clinical use |
| topic | Transcranial magnetic stimulation mTMS Functional imaging Motor mapping Patient safety |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12938-025-01393-6 |
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