Circular Coil Array Model for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an intriguing technology for investigating functions in the brain. Magnetic coil in transcranial magnetic stimulation devices can produce brief, strong magnetic pulses to induce electric fields in the brain which modulate neural activity. Stimulation intensity, field attenuation in depth and focality are the keys of efficient functional magnetic stimulations. In this paper, three coil configurations are analysed: circular coil, eight-figure coil and circular coil array. The results show circular coil array has significantly larger stimulation intensity compared to conventional circular coil. The magnetic field attenuation in depth of circular coil array is the lowest one in the three kinds of coils.