title: The activation function of TMS on a finite element model of a cortical sulcus.
abstract: TMS is a promising tool for the non-invasive stimulation of the cerebral cortex, with applications in Neurology and the Neurosciences. From cable theory, it is known that the activation function for neuronal stimulation in TMS may contain contributions from the electric field and the component of the electric field gradient along the direction of the nerve. Here we present a calculation of the spatial distribution of the induced electric field by TMS using a finite element model of the cerebral cortex and surrounding tissues. This distribution allows us to calculate the activation function for different experimental conditions, and is expected to provide new insight into the mechanisms of TMS in the cortex.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Science, University of Lisbon, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal. ssilva@fc.ul.pt
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Basser
authors.forename: Pedro C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Miranda
mesh_terms: D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D008959:Models, Neurological; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation