BSEL Projects - Jake Golden

Goal

Use anatomy-specific finite-element models to simulate tDCS and TMS stimulation of the brain.

Process

Generate Head Model

Head Model

Script FEA Simulation

FEA

Analyze Results

Analysis

Project 1: Optimizing Coil Placement

Click to expand

Goal: Determine optimal TMS coil placement to target a certain brain region given a patient's MRI.

Application: Noninvasive treatment of misophonia at Duke Hospital using TMS stimulation.

Target region is selected from patient's MRI.

TAP pipeline (MATLAB) determines optimal coil placement and orientation.

Output from TAP is a 4x4 affine matrix encoding position/orientation.

Created head meshes (4M+ elements) from patient MRI data
Programmed patient-specific FEA simulations
Developed automated pipeline (shell scripting) to determine optimal coil placement and orientation

Project 2: Coil Comparison

Click to expand

Goal: Compare the strength and focality of new, optimized TMS coils to existing ones.

Application: Allow deeper brain regions to be targeted, increasing the number of theraputic applications of noninvasive TMS stimulation.

Industry-standard coils were compared to custom coils designed at BSEL.

3D FEM simulations were analyzed and visualized to determine a robust metric of E-field spread for each coil.

To quantify E-field spread, suprathreshold grey-matter volume was plotted against grey-matter depth. The "threshold" E-field was defined as the maximum E-field magnitude along the coil axis.

Programmed FEA simulations on spherical and realistic brain models
Developed quantitative metrics to quantify "E-field spread"
Analyzed results and produced figures for publication

Project 3: Modified Electrode Placement in ECT

Click to expand

Goal: Computationally model the effect of moving bitemporal stimulus electrodes posteriorly by 1 inch on induced electric field in the brain.

Application: Enhance the efficacy of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), increasing seizure duration and/or lowering seizure threshold.

Poster presentation: Shifting Bitemporal ECT Stimulus Electrodes Posteriorly

3D FEM simulations performed to compare the two electrode placements

Postprocessing of FEM simulations to visualize different electric field distributions

Comparison of electric field strengths in various regions of interest (ROIs) in the brain

Collaborated with clinicians at Duke Hospital
Programmed FEA simulations on realistic brain model
Compared and visualized data qualitatively and quantitatively

Project 4: Localization of Motor Tracts

Coming soon!

Finite Element Analysis

MATLAB

Large-Scale Data Analysis

Data Visualization

Bash Programming

Technical Communication