Automated Optimization of TMS Coil Placement for Personalized Functional Network Engagement

Overview

Journal Neuron

Publisher Cell Press

Specialty Neurology

Date 2022 Sep 16

PMID 36113473

Authors

Charles J Lynch

Immanuel G Elbau

Tommy H Ng

Danielle Wolk

Shasha Zhu

Aliza Ayaz

Jonathan D Power

Benjamin Zebley

Faith M Gunning

Conor Liston

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is used to treat multiple psychiatric and neurological conditions by manipulating activity in particular brain networks and circuits, but individual responses are highly variable. In clinical settings, TMS coil placement is typically based on either group average functional maps or scalp heuristics. Here, we found that this approach can inadvertently target different functional networks in depressed patients due to variability in their functional brain organization. More precise TMS targeting should be feasible by accounting for each patient's unique functional neuroanatomy. To this end, we developed a targeting approach, termed targeted functional network stimulation (TANS). The TANS approach improved stimulation specificity in silico in 8 highly sampled patients with depression and 6 healthy individuals and in vivo when targeting somatomotor functional networks representing the upper and lower limbs. Code for implementing TANS and an example dataset are provided as a resource.

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