Electric field modeling and spatial control in Deep Brain Stimulation

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is an established treatment, in e.g. Parkinson's Disease, whose underlying biological mechanisms are unknown. In DBS, electrical stimulation is delivered through electrodes surgically implanted into certain regions of the brain of the patient. Mathematical models aiming at a better understanding of DBS and optimization of its therapeutical effect through the simulation of the electrical field propagating in the brain tissue have been developed in the past decade. The contribution of the present study is twofold: First, an analytical approximation of the electric field produced by an emitting contact is suggested and compared to the numerical solution given by a Finite Element Method (FEM) solver. Second, the optimal stimulation settings are evaluated by fitting the field distribution to a target one to control the spread of the stimulation. Optimization results are compared to those of a geometric approach, maximizing the intersection between the target and the activated volume in the brain tissue and reducing the stimulated area beyond said target. Both methods exhibit similar performance with respect to the optimal stimuli, with the electric field control approach being faster and more versatile.