title: Magnetic stimulation of the spine: the role of tissues and their modelling.
abstract: Numerical modelling of magnetic stimulation in the spine is a scarce subject in the literature, although it has been gaining clinical acceptance. In the present work we present the results from a simplified computational model of the spine. The results indicate that it is necessary to use a numerical technique for solving the problem, which takes into account tissue dispersion and both dielectric properties (conductivity and permittivity), since a difference of 14% in the induced electric fields was found when displacement currents were included. With respect to the role of tissues in stimulation efficiency, it was confirmed that water-rich tissues lead to a shielding effect of the spinal cord. However, this effect becomes smaller at the height of the intervertebral discs, resulting in an increase of the field inside the spine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Efthimiadis
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Samaras
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Polyzoidis
mesh_terms: D004553:Electric Conductivity; D006801:Humans; D055909:Magnetic Field Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D008954:Models, Biological; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013131:Spine / Q000166:cytology* / Q000294:innervation; D013997:Time Factors