A novel coil design for magnetic nerve stimulation

Magnetic nerve stimulation is a non-invasive method of exciting neural tissue. Stimulation can be achieved by exposing the body to a transient magnetic field which is generated by passing a high current through a coil over short period of time. By positioning the coil in a specific orientation over the targeted nerve, the magnetic field will create an electric field in the conductive milieu of the body. Induced currents will result from that electric field. If those currents reach a certain amplitude within a specific time period this will cause a neural depolarization. This depolarization will enable us to test and examine the excited nerve providing the necessary data for an effective treatment. In this paper we describe a new design for the stimulating coil with the aim of achieving a more focused magnetic field. This resultant field will excite deep targeted nerves with minimum excitation to the surrounding nerves.