Line of research: new device for
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Project abstract:
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) refers to the induction of biocurrents
in the brain by using Faraday's law of induction.
The technique is largely used for brain research, and shows a great
potential for handling several neurological disorders.
Despite being more than twenty five years old, deep-brain
TMS is strongly impaired by surface discontinuities that render
even the most modern TMS devices incapable of stimulating the center of
the brain with intensities larger than 50% of the stimuli induced
in the superficial cortex. Our collaboration between
LIP,
the
University of Coimbra,
and the
University of Lisbon
is devising a new system of coils
immersed in a conducting liquid that allows for the first time to reach
the center of the brain with stimuli larger than 50% in respect to those
induced in the superficial cortex. Motivating simulation and experimental work
is ongoing.
Collaborating institutions:
![](bluedot.jpeg)
LIP -
Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas
![](bluedot.jpeg)
UC -
University of Coimbra
![](bluedot.jpeg)
IBEB -
Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica,
University of Lisbon
Some publications/presentations:
![](p990033.gif)
P. Crespo, H. Simões, M. Dias Silva, C. Vieira Ferreira, L. Jesus,
H. Oliveira, P. Cavaleiro Miranda, P. Fonte, R. Salvador, J. Silvestre,
Experimental demonstration of induction by means of a
transcranial magnetic stimulator coil immersed in a conducting liquid,
5as Jornadas do Departamento de Física e Matemática do ISEC,
Apr. 17, 2013, Coimbra
![](p990033.gif)
H. Simões, M. Dias Silva , C. Vieira Ferreira, L. Jesus, H. Oliveira,
P. Cavaleiro Miranda , R. Salvador, P. Crespo, J. Silvestre,
Experimental demonstration of induction by means of a
transcranial magnetic stimulator coil immersed in a conducting liquid,
In Conf. Records IEEE 3rd Portuguese Meeting in Bioengineering (ENBENG), Braga,
Feb. 2013
![](p990033.gif)
M. Dias Silva, C. Vieira Ferreira, H. Oliveira, P. Fonte, L. Jesus,
R. Salvador, J. Silvestre, P. Crespo,
Multiple coils in a conducting liquid for deep and whole-brain
transcranial magnetic stimulation. II. Multiple-frequency excitation,
In Conf. Records IEEE 2nd Portuguese Meeting in Bioengineering (ENBENG),
Coimbra, Feb. 2012
![](p990033.gif)
H. Oliveira, M. Dias Silva, C. Vieira Ferreira, P. Fonte, L. Jesus,
R. Salvador, J. Silvestre, P. Crespo,
Multiple coils in a conducting liquid for deep and whole-brain
transcranial magnetic stimulation. I. Single-frequency excitation,
In Conf. Records IEEE 2nd Portuguese Meeting in Bioengineering (ENBENG),
Coimbra, Feb. 2012
![](p990033.gif)
H. Oliveira, L. Jesus, P. Cavaleiro Miranda, C. Vieira Ferreira,
R. Salvador, M. Dias Silva, J. Silvestre, P. Crespo,
Sobre a potencial inibição de crises epilépticas através de
estimulação biomagnética transcraniana,
presentation to the Department of Neurology, Coimbra University Hospitals,
Sep. 2011