Magnetoelectric Nanoparticles: Evaluating Stimulation Feasibility of the Possible Next Generation Approach for Deep Brain Stimulation

The purpose of this study is to quantify the distributions of the electric field induced by CoFe2O4 core - BaTiO3 shell magneto-electric nanoparticles (MENPs) when localized in deep brain structures. These fields can be used for deep brain stimulation (DBS), and their effect is compared to the fields induced by conventional DBS electrodes in monopolar and bipolar configuration. A computational approach based on finite element method was applied, along with the use of a highly detailed anatomical model of the brain structures. Different MENPs configurations were investigated and compared to conventional DBS electrode configuration. The activation of nervous fibers was quantified by calculating the Activation Function (AF) defined as the second derivative of the electric potential along the fiber. Electric field amplitudes obtained by MENPs were much lower than the ones obtained by the monopolar and bipolar electrode configurations. The AF values showed that MENPs were able to obtain very localized activation patterns along the fibers. In addition to the minimal invasiveness and proven biocompatibility of the MENPs, the results show that the proposed approach represents an important step towards a selective and minimally invasive strategy for DBS. All these findings are essential in identifying the unique characteristics that MENPs could provide for nervous system stimulation, and how the use of MENPs could improve the development of a new generation of DBS techniques.